Taron Egerton says he is estranged from his dad after 'pushing ejector seat'

Welsh actor Taron Egerton has opened up about his estranged relationship with his dad.

Egerton, who made his big-screen debut in the popular Kingsman franchise in 2014, said he decided to "push the ejector seat" on their relationship and he hasn't "seen him since".

The 36-year-old was born in Birkenhead but moved to Wales with his mother Christine after his parents divorced when he was two. He was then raised in Anglesey and Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.

Speaking on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast, the actor said his relationship with his dad got "more difficult" as an adult.

He said: "My father and I, when I was growing up, were able to maintain a fairly kind of functional relationship. As I got older, that became more difficult and I haven't spoken to him for a number of years now".

The Welsh star said he was initially "reluctant" to talk in "too much detail" about his dad as he's "living his own life", but added he will "always love him".

Egerton said: "I do love him. I just don't think we work very well in terms of our relationship. So, there was a point where I pushed the ejector seat and haven't seen him since."

During the interview, Egerton said he was "happier and more functional" when he tried to "view everyone else as just trying their best" and believed that his father was "a guy who wanted to be a good dad".

He added: "In hindsight, I think being raised by a single mom who was pursuing a degree and trying to make ends meet… looking back, I think I was possibly a little more anxious than I was aware of until quite recently.

"But she was a great mum; I never felt that I wanted anything or missed anything."

Speaking about his life in Wales, Egerton said he lived in the famous village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on Anglesey from the age of two until he was 12 years old.

His mum Christine worked in social services and his dad David ran a bed-and-breakfast near Liverpool.

Egerton said he found the first year of secondary school tough, and was fresh meat for two bullies before moving to Aberystwyth for his formative years, where he later found his "tribe" of friends.

He added that he didn't want to come across as a victim, and that his "upbringing was amazing" and full of love.

On the comedy podcast, Egerton went on to describe his Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle co-star Colin Firth as a "fatherly figure".

The films – released in 2014 and 2017 – saw Egerton play Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, while Firth played his mentor Harry Hart.

Egerton admitted that while filming the movies, director Matthew Vaughn threatened to let him go because of his partying.

He said: "Colin was amazing. I remember I was going through a difficult time. I broke up with my first girlfriend and I was like really aggressively partying to deal with it and was coming in, in like a bad way.

"I remember there were a couple of days on Kingsman where Matt was like, 'you're going home. I can't film you today'."

Egerton said it was Firth who was "fatherly and understanding".

He added: "He was always lovely to me. When he saw the movie, I always remember what he texted me. He said, 'you are note perfect'. He's such a generous, kind man."

The actor said he would love to make another instalment of the film series because it "would be fun to get to ride with Colin once more".

After raising to fame in the Kingsman films, Egerton voiced Johnny the gorilla and sang Elton John's I'm Still Standing in the animated movie Sing in 2016, before taking on the role of Sir Elton himself in 2019.

He said: "Singing is a big thing in Wales, so I did choir stuff in school. Loved singing.

"I was introduced to music very young, there was always music being played."