Saltburn star Barry Keoghan has hit back at online claims that he is a 'deadbeat dad', conveying his anger over the remarks.
The BAFTA-winner, propelled to fame through roles in the acclaimed thriller Saltburn and due to his romance with songstress Sabrina Carpenter, has faced social media backlash for not sharing photos of his son. Keoghan has a child from a past relationship and hasn't shied away from discussing his fatherhood journey, reports the Daily Record.
Addressing the criticism surrounding his private life on the Louis Theroux Podcast, he expressed: "There's a lot online. If I didn't have tough skin or the strength to have, I wouldn't be sitting here."
He further elaborated on how his upbringing influences his role as a father, noting: "Of course, [my childhood is] going to affect me being a father when I had no blueprint to take from."
Defending himself against the characterisations of some naysayers, he clarified: "People just read that [as] laziness and go, 'Oh, that's no excuse to be an absent father.' I'm not an absent father."
Having grown up in foster care after his mother succumbed to heroin addiction and passed away when he was 12, Keoghan opened up about why he chooses to keep his child out of the spotlight.
"The more attention I've got lately and the more in the public I've become, the less I've posted about my child, because I don't think it's fair to put my child online," he shared. "People draw a narrative and go 'absent father, s***, deadbeat dad,' and more disgusting things I wouldn't even repeat. Just the audacity of some people, man. It sickens me, makes me furious."
Despite his decision to steer clear of social media, Keoghan admitted that he sometimes can't help but take a peek online,
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