Hugh Grant, 64, says his five children are ‘far too old in life’

• Hugh Grant recently spoke about what it’s like to be an older father.

• Grant, 64, is the father of five children between the ages of 6 and 13.

• The benefits of being an older parent include being more financially stable and having more wisdom.

Hugh Grant recently spoke about the challenges – and benefits – of having children later in life.

On Monday’s episode of the “SmartLess” podcast, the “Notting Hill” actor was asked how many children he has. “Well, we think there are five,” he replied jokingly.

“But I had them way too old in life, you know – I started when I was 52,” he said. “Now I’m 64, you know, and the youngest is 6, and I need a long stay in a sanatorium or an abbey.”

The actor joked that he often looks into the abbey where Maria from “The Sound of Music” lived. “I wish I lived there,” he said.

Grant has a daughter, 13, and a son, 11, with his ex-partner Tinglan Hong. He has three children, 12, 8 and 6, with his wife Anna Eberstein.

Grant said that having children later helped him as an actor. “I think I was a dried-up, golf-addicted, middle-aged Englishman. Then I had kids and suddenly I had a heart and I think I had more layers or something.”

On Wednesday’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Grant joked that he hides from his kids in the bathroom. “There is a lot to worry about because I am old and it is loud and unbearable. And I often hide in the toilet. I sleep there a lot now,” he said. “There is a lock but they have pretty much broken it open now,” he added.

The father of five said it was nice to have children. “I’m going home tonight and, let’s be honest, that’s where they jump into your arms. The 6 year old, you know, she calls it her chimp hug. I really like that,” he said.

A representative for Grant did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Becoming a parent later in life

There are also benefits to being an older parent.

Caitlin Weaver, who had her children when she was 38 and 41, said she started taking self-care more seriously. “My children’s most active years are still ahead of them, so I want to make sure mine are too,” said Weaver, who now eats well and exercises regularly. She added that having children later also made her emotionally more secure.

“I’m grateful that I had the time to figure out what I wanted my own life to be before taking on the responsibility of someone else’s,” she said.

Ryan Crawley, who at 49 has two young children, previously wrote for BI that he and his wife would be more financially stable if he had children later in life.

Still, Crawley worries about having less time with his children, so he tries to spend as much time with them as possible.

“I don’t want to waste a minute with my children because soon I will be a senior and they will just be starting their lives.”

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