Matt LeBlanc's marriage was on the verge of divorce and his daughter was suffering from a brain disease.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 9, 2020. It has since been updated.
A father's greatest joy is his daughter and there is nothing that can break their heart than seeing their child in pain. Friends star Mathew LeBlanc is known for his hilarious dialogues that never fail to make his fans laugh out loud. While many of us still look at LeBlanc as the silly manchild Joey Tribbiani, in real life he is a loving and caring father to his 15-year-old daughter, Marina Pearl LeBlanc. She is his most precious and the actor gave up his public life to be the best father to his little girl.
Just like any other father LeBlanc was excited to welcome his first daughter with his former wife, Melissa McKnight in 2004. However, just months after her birth, the couple was given the most heartbreaking news. When Marina was just 11 months old, the little baby was diagnosed with a form of dysplasia, a condition that can affect the brain, bones and motor skills. According to the Telegraph, the left side of the child's brain was affected and it caused her seizures. In addition to that, the baby girl was unable to crawl and walk. Her vocal cords were also affected. LeBlanc and his wife could not see their baby girl go through it at such a young age. It was devastating and the couple did everything they could.
A very Happpy Birthday to @Matt_LeBlanc's daughter Marina! Have an awesome day pic.twitter.com/r8GbTtvDDX
— MattCrazedWebs (@MattCrazedWebs) February 8, 2016
LeBlanc could not handle the pain and was not able to focus on his work. "I didn’t feel like being funny. I had a lot going on in my personal life," said the actor. Meanwhile, his marriage was dead as well. With the relationship broken, he wanted to be there for his daughter who was slowly recovering. He moved to his Santa Barbara cattle ranch and withdrew from public life. He stayed there with his daughter and attended to her. He wanted to be a full-time dad. "I knew I wasn’t missing out on anything. I had dabbled with the celebrity world. I’d partied a bit. But there wasn't anything there that could fulfill me. I mean, I have beers in the fridge at home," said the Top Gear host.
LeBlanc was happy that his daughter was coming out of her illness. He was happy to see her becoming healthy and the actor always made sure he placed her before anyone. The actor is known to be very close to his daughter and is said to share an unbreakable bond with her. "She’s a daddy’s girl.’ He goes a little gooey. ‘She can wrap me around her little finger. I’m powerless.” said the actor about his daughter.
References
Share on Facebook