Chris McCausland has become used to being in the spotlight, from his glittering career as a comedian to his latest appearance on Strictly Come Dancing alongside Dianne Buswell.
When it comes to his family, fame is a different matter. The Would I Lie To You star prefers to keep his Brazilian wife Patricia and their daughter Sophie, 10, out of the spotlight.
That’s why fans were delighted to catch a very rare glimpse of his family life with his daughter during an appearance on Comedians: Home Alone back in 2020.
While the BBC show is no longer available to watch on catch-up, one screenshot shows Chris and his daughter sitting at the kitchen table in their open-plan living room. The 8 Out of 10 Cats looked relaxed in a blue T-shirt while his little girl sported a white jumper and long brunette hair that fell in a straight style past her shoulders.
© Hat Trick / BBCWith her head in her hands and a screaming expression on her face, it appears that the pair were in some light-hearted disagreement!
In the background, Chris’ family living room followed a neutral colour scheme with wooden floorboards, white shelves stacked with books and framed family photos, a TV unit and large indoor plants.
‘Terrified’ of fatherhood
Chris married psychologist Patricia in 2012 following a four-year relationship. While he has revealed very little about their daughter, he has made some candid comments about fatherhood.
In an interview with Gyles Brandreth, the Have I Got News For You star revealed that he was “terrified” and “tormented” about the prospect of having a child, specifically a son.
© Shutterstock“I was in such a dilemma about it because I knew I would regret not having kids, but the thought of having kids terrified me,” Chris explained.
“The idea of being a parent and all of the things I was going to be unable to do properly. My dad, all the things he used to do with me as a kid, taking me to different places, and the time he put in helping me build things.
“You go, ‘How am I going to be able to do those things – I’m not going to be a proper dad, I’m going to be a half dad’. That kind of really caused me a lot of torment in my head,” he added.
© Guy Levy“Weirdly, I think I wanted a girl because I figured if we got a girl I could be a loving dad, but some of the practical obligations that fall on dads they’d fall more on [his wife] Patricia because she’d be a girl,” Chris admitted.
The Scared of the Dark star went on to describe fatherhood as “amazing” and explained his fears were unfounded. “There wouldn’t be blokes’ things that I would then not be able to take my son to. But being a dad has been amazing.”
Sophie’s comments
© ShutterstockChris was “terrified” of competing in Strictly due to his impaired vision from a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
He joked that Sophie didn’t have words of encouragement for him ahead of him taking part in the competition.
“I showed my 10-year-old daughter a clip of the show and asked her if I should do it. ‘No, Daddy,’ she said. ‘You’ll fall off the stage and break your leg.’
“She’s a joker at heart, but she’s got a point,” he told The Telegraph.
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