WASHINGTON: Tom Hanks’ son Chet Hanks recently shared on social media that he secretly welcomed a baby girl, who is “the reason why I turned my life around and got sober” for over a year and a half.
26-year-old Hanks has been candid about his struggles with substance abuse in the past.
In an emotional video on Instagram, he revealed, “I do have a daughter. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me.”
Hanks credited his baby with helping him to get clean.
“She's the reason why I turned my life around and got sober. I've been sober for over a year and a half from everything," he said in the video.
Earlier last year, Hanks opened up about his substance abuse in a video after reports claimed he had gone missing.
"Hey I just want to say, I know, like, my name's been in the media about me like, going missing or getting kidnapped or something...I've been in rehab. I've been trying to get my s**t together and I'm doing pretty damn good, you know what I'm saying?” he revealed.
Justifying that he does not “share” the baby daughter on Instagram as he did not want her to be “dragged into the negativity” surrounding his past, Hanks said, “She is not something to be posted. She's something that I love, that's changed my life, but the fact is she's about to be shared with everybody so I wanted you to hear it from me...because I'm a real person.”
He ended the video with a candid admission about having to live his life in the spotlight despite his troubled past, saying, “It hasn't been easy making all my mistakes in public but I'm figuring it out."
"I'm doing the best that I can,” he ended with a “Love you” note.