Jamie Bell 'understands' why his father walked out

Jamie Bell has insisted he understands why his father walked out on his mother before he was born.

The British actor is a father himself to a four-year-old son from his marriage to Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood and the couple have remained famously private about their child's identity.

But in terms of being a parent the Billy Elliot star is open about the challenges it brings, which helps him somewhat understand why his dad left his mom Eileen before he arrived in 1984.

“It’s difficult raising a child. It’s really stressful. It requires a lot of you," Jamie explained to ES Magazine. "You have to sacrifice your life and some people don’t want to do that. It’s not particularly noble, but I could see why the easier thing is to leave.”

Quizzed on whether he could ever do the same thing with his little boy, Jamie stated, "You can’t be thinking, ‘I’m doing this because no one ever gave me this experience.' The thing is not to love from a place of anger because that is potentially devastating.”

The doting dad went on to sweetly note his son is the best thing he has ever achieved, describing the love he has for the tot as "almost painful".

Jamie and Evan went their separate ways in 2014, though the 31-year-old insists he and his ex-wife remain on good terms, partly due to the fact that they both grew up with divorced parents and understood how to handle the situation in the best way.

He's since moved on with his Fantastic Four co-star Kate Mara, who he tied the knot with last month (Jul17) after getting together in late 2015.

“There was an instant connection, like we’d known one another for ever," he smiled of their relationship. "It was obvious very quickly that we were going to get married.”