has revealed he’s set to become a dad once again, as he’s expecting his third child with wife Laura Gallacher.
The comedian, 48, wed Laura in 2017.
An author and illustrator, is also the younger sister of
She and Russell already proud parents to daughters Mabel, six, and Peggy, four.
Confirming Laura is expecting for a third time, he spoke to Stephen Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO and gave a rare insight into fatherhood.
‘You fell in love and you’ve got two children. You’ve got a third on the way, around the corner,’ Stephen began.
‘That’s a very special love you have found.’
On being a father, Russell shared: ‘It taught me there is a lot more important in this world than me.
‘It taught me that love is real. It teaches you everything to become a father. All lessons are there.’
Russell became tearful as he started speaking of a ‘future’ for his kids that he ‘won’t be part of’.
‘Any old man, any old woman. My little girls, it’s just so beautiful,’ he said in response, not being fully clear with what he meant.
Russell’s rare insight into his personal life comes after the former wild showbiz star chose to settle down after marking 20 years of sobriety, having overcome drug and alcohol struggles.
Discussing his dark past, Russell told podcast listeners: ‘It’s probably only by the time I got clean from crack, and heroine and alcohol, that I’d been having an anxiety attack for my entire life.
‘My life has been defined my addiction, and addiction is in part a lack of connection, an attempt to synthesize the connection between self, other and God.’
The Get Him to the Greek star added: ‘My initial solution to feeling weak and disconnected and lonely and somehow silently brilliant was to try and become successful, was to try and become famous.’
Russell also said that now he’s a dad, he realised ‘you can’t be a father to anyone else before you’re a father to yourself.’
He now has to make sure he feels like he’s ‘enough’ and that he’s ‘going to be ok’ so he can look after his kids properly.
‘I’ve been fortunate enough through crisis and despair to find myself connected to a group of other people the same as me, who cannot cope with reality unless they use drink or drugs, who provide me with a paradigm and a programme for moving forwards.’
