COLIN FARRELL - FARRELL'S SON HAS SPECIAL NEEDS

Actor Colin Farrell has talked of the difficulties of raising his son James, who has special needs.

The four-year-old has a rare form of cerebral palsy called Angelman Syndrome, which can affect his motor skills and speech.

However, the Miami Vice and Alexander actor said his son – born in September 2003 to Farrell's ex-girlfriend, model Kim Bordenave – shows "amazing courage", despite the rare neurogenetic disease.

"The only time I'm reminded that there is something different about him - that he has some deviation of what is perceived to be normal - is when I see him with other four-year-olds.

"Then I go, 'Oh yeah,' and it comes back to me," Farrell told the Irish Independent. "But from day one I felt that he's the way he's meant to be."

The 31-year-old added: "[I'm] incredibly blessed to have him in my life."

Farrell stars alongside Ewan McGregor in the upcoming Woody Allen movie Cassandra's Dream, before playing opposite Edward Norton and Jennifer Ehle in Joe Carnahan's Pride and Glory.

He added: "He took his first steps about six weeks ago, and it was four years in the making. It was incredibly emotional. There wasn't a dry eye in the house."