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Pierce's grief

Pierce Brosnan speaks of his heartbreak at losing both his first wife and daughter to ovarian cancer

Actor spoke openly about overcoming tragic loss

PIERCE Brosnan has spoken candidly about losing both his wife and daughter to ovarian cancer.

In an interview with Esquire he discussed handling the grief of losing the women closest to him.

 Pierce Brosnan and his first wife Cassandra
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Pierce Brosnan and his first wife CassandraCredit: Getty Images
 Pierce pictured with his daughter Charlotte
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Pierce pictured with his daughter CharlotteCredit: Getty Images

Hinting at battling with depression, Pierce admitted: “I don’t look at the cup as half full, believe me. The dark, melancholy Irish black dog sits beside me from time to time.”

Pierce was married to Cassandra Harris for 11 years until her death aged 43. After her death in 1991, Pierce became a global acting legend with a plethora of crowd-pleasing roles including a seven year stint as James Bond and starring opposite the late Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire.

Tragically, Pierce also lost his daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer in June 2013.

 Pierce has been doing the media circuit to promote latest TV project, The Son
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Pierce has been doing the media circuit to promote latest TV project, The SonCredit: Rex Features

Pierce had previously spoken out about the loss during a Stand Up For Cancer TV broadcast where he explained: “To watch someone you love have his or her life eaten away bit by bit by this insidious disease, that kind of sorrow becomes an indelible part of your psyche.”

Pierce remarried in 2001 to Keely Shaye Smith and is a proud father to four sons - Chris, 44, Sean, 33, from his first marriage in addition to Dylan, 20 and Paris, 16, with Keely.

 Pierce Brosnan on an evening stroll with wife Keely Shaye Smith
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Pierce Brosnan on an evening stroll with wife Keely Shaye SmithCredit: Splash News

Speaking of his troubled relationship with his own father who abandoned the family soon after Pierce’s birth, the 63-year-old actor admitted: “My fatherly instincts are purely my own. They relate back to no one, because there was no one.”

When quizzed on if he ever made contact with his father, Pierce revealed: “I only met Tom the once, I had a Sunday afternoon with him. A story about this and that, had a few pints of Guinness, and we said goodbye. I would have loved to have known him. He was a good whistler and had a good walk. That’s as much as I know about him.”

 Pierce has become a Hollywood action icon in the past 20 years since his James Bond debut
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Pierce has become a Hollywood action icon in the past 20 years since his James Bond debut

Pierce is currently promoting his latest TV project, western drama The Son. Piers replaced Sam Neill at the eleventh hour after the Jurassic Park actor pulled out of the production.

In 2016 Pierce was caught up in controversy after promoting an Indian product with health risks linked to cancer. The Hollywood legend asked the company to immediately remove his image from all advertising materials and said he would “never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one’s health.”

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He also came under fire earlier this year when US chat show host James Corden recalled a moment at a U2 concert where Pierce shoved him aside.



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