SOME BONDS DON'T BREAK

After 20 years of pain, Pierce Brosnan's family is healing and his eldest son is back home

- COMPILED BY SIPHOKAZI ZAMA

HE'S the man who made James Bond irresistible to a generation of 007 lovers - suave, sophisticated, seemingly invincible. His Hollywood smile has charmed audiences for decades, his Irish wit has lit up red carpets from London to Los Angeles. But behind Pierce Brosnan's twinkling blue eyes lies a story of tragedy and loss that would make a tearjerker of a movie all of its own.

Abandoned by his father as a baby, Pierce has spent a lifetime battling ghosts. His beloved first wife, Cassandra, died from ovarian cancer in 1991 just a day after their 11th wedding anniversary and, in a cruel twist of fate, 22 years later his adopted daughter, Charlotte, succumbed to the same disease at the age of 41. Then came another gut-wrenching heartbreak - his adopted son, Christopher, spiralled into the dark world of addiction.

Pierce adopted Christopher and Charlotte after their biological father died, embracing them as his own when he married their mom, Cassandra.

But Christopher's battle with heroin and cocaine, which once saw him fall into a coma, pushed Pierce to breaking point. Rather than watch him kill himself slowly, Pierce made the difficult decision to cut him off completely.

For years, the family were fractured. While Pierce found love again with Keely Shaye Smith and raised two more sons, Dylan and Paris, the absence of his eldest hung over the family like a shadow.

After nearly two decades of estrangement, there are signs of hope.

The 72-year-old actor was recently photographed leaving a London restaurant with Christopher (52) and Dylan (28). Insiders say Pierce looked delighted to be in the company of his kids and was pictured beaming as he left the restaurant. “Pierce and Christopher's problems have been well-documented but it seems they've managed to put them behind them,” a source says. “It was really wonderful to see them together - everyone looked happy and relaxed.”