Eric Roberts knew early on that he couldn’t be the father that Emma Roberts deserved.
In his new memoir Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far, the 68-year-old actor reflected on his difficult journey as a parent after separating from Emma's mother, Kelly Cunningham, when their daughter was just seven months old.
“I had abandoned Kelly when Emma was just seven months old,” he wrote.
Despite the challenges, Eric described the joy of becoming a father. “The pregnancy was very exciting. I fell madly in love with Emma the first minute I saw her,” he shared.
Eric even recalled calming baby Emma with a familiar tune. “When I started singing 'Happy Birthday' to her, she must have recognised my voice because she calmed right down."
Yet, Eric admits that his enthusiasm for fatherhood didn’t translate into being the father Emma needed. “I loved my little daughter with the strength of Hercules, despite my own weaknesses… I couldn’t handle being a parent,” he confessed.
Now, he sees Emma — a mother herself — as the nurturing figure he couldn’t be.
Eric attributes much of his struggle to drug addiction, writing, “The biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma. I was still impossibly coked up when she was born, which explains everything.”
Emma has been estranged from Eric ever since he lost custody over her.