Maisie Williams gets emotional as she discusses 'traumatic' relationship with estranged father

Maisie Williams was left weeping while discussing her 'traumatic' relationship with her father that 'consumed' her childhood.

The Game Of Thrones star, 25, candidly opened up about her upbringing before finding fame as Arya Stark on the HBO series at the age of 12 years old.

Maisie grew up in Somerset with her mother Hilary and her three siblings - James, Beth, and Ted, and has spoken about her relationship with her estranged father for the first time.

While losing control over her emotions on The Diary Of An CEO podcast, Maisie told host Stephen Bartlett that her mother 'escaped' her father when she was four months old.

The actress spoke of the 'traumatic' things she experienced during her childhood, which led her to cut off contact with her father when she was eight years old.

Maisie said she went through a lot of 'pain' and 'fear' in her early childhood but said she felt like she was 'indoctrinated' in a 'child cult' as she didn't realise the behaviour she was exposed to was 'wrong'.

Breaking down in tears, she said: 'Well, I, as a young child before the age of, like, eight, had a traumatic relationship with my dad. And I don't want to go into it too much because it affects my siblings and my whole family.

Maisie - who has been open about her mental health struggles - said although she felt relieved she didn't have to see her father anymore, she still struggled with conflicting feelings.