Colin Farrell reveals heartbreaking reason he placed disabled son in care following misdiagnosis

18 April 2025, 19:52 | Updated: 18 April 2025, 20:13

Colin Farrell has opened up on the heartbreaking reason he placed his disabled son in care after the 21-year-old was misdiagnosed by the NHS.

The Phone Booth star has opened up for the first on his decision to place his son, James, in a long-term care facility.

James, who is non verbal, has now been confirmed as suffering from Angelman syndrome, with Farrell recently placing him in a care facility.

"It’s tricky, some parents will say 'I want to take care of my child myself' and I respect that," Colin said.

The 48-year-old actor, who shares son James with his ex-partner Kim Bordenave, is said to have made the difficult decision after choosing 'stability' where the future is concerned.

"But my horror would be... What if I have a heart attack tomorrow, and, God forbid, James’ mother, Kim, has a car crash and she’s taken too – and then James is on his own?"

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The actor explained that he and his ex now make regular visits to spend time with the 21-year-old.

Speaking with Candis Magazine, Farrell's comments follow the star's recent comments surrounding his son's misdiagnosis, with doctors initially saying James was suffering from cerebral palsy as a child.

Revealing the heartbreaking medical error, Farrell described how doctors eventually diagnosed James with Angelman syndrome.

The actor continued: "Then he’s a ward of the state and he goes where? We’d have no say in it."

The details come a year after the actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation in a bid to provide support for adult children with intellectual disabilities.

A rare genetic condition, the syndrome affects the nervous system, causing a range of severe physical and learning disabilities.

He revealed the pair's wish to find a stable and safe home for James "now while we're still alive and healthy".

"We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life," he revealed, having searched for a place "where he feels connected."

He explained how as a child "James wasn't crawling".

"I think he was a year and a half when we took him to get really checked out, and he was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy."

"It was a common misdiagnosis, because it shared a lot of the same characteristics. And that was a downer for sure.

"I remember the first two questions I asked were, 'What’s the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?'," Colin said.

"And the doctor said, 'Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.'"