Umbrella Academy’s Tom Hopper: “My Son Has Autism & He Amazes Me Every Day” (Photo Credit: Instagram/Tom Hopper)
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Tom Hopper is all set to reprise his role as Luther Hargreeves aka Number One in The Umbrella Academy. The actor, along with wife actress-writer, Laura Higgins opened up about their children daughter Freddie (5) and Truly Rose (2).
The couple opened up about their son Freddie, who is nonverbal after receiving his autism diagnosis. The diagnosis was conducted before the child’s fifth birthday in March.
In an interview with People magazine, Tom said, “We thought, we’ve got to do this for the parents that are going through this so they don’t feel alone.” The 35-year-old actor continued, “Because it can be a very lonely time.”
Since the diagnosis, the parents have been sharing videos and photos on their social media accounts, speaking about and sharing their experiences with other parents going through the same.
He added, “You have to trust each other and the journey. The right things will happen eventually, but it doesn’t happen overnight. My son has autism, and he amazes me every day. His brain just works in a different way.”
Tom and Laura first noticed their son was different at around 18 months. They said the first thing they noticed was that Freddie wouldn’t turn around for his name. Recalls Laura, “From there, the older he got, the more of a gap there was between him and other children his age, in terms of his progress.” Tom said, “He’d properly engage. We would be able to talk to him and he’d respond, but it stopped.”
Laura says it was vital for them to recognize the regression. The parents immersed themselves in autism research but quickly realized that each child is unique. Said Tom, “The biggest thing for us was learning Freddie. We’ve had to figure out what works for him and what doesn’t.”
Talking about their daughter Truly The couple said that she keeps both of them on their toes. Said Laura, “She’s a Daddy’s girl. Sassy little thing. She’s going to walk all over Tom when she gets older.” Tom added “She’s a Daddy’s girl and I adore it. She’s going to walk all over my wallet.”
Tom and Laura exchanged vows in 2014.
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