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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Natasha Sporn

Charlize Theron: I'm raising two beautiful proud black African girls

Charlize Theron has discussed raising “two beautiful proud black African girls” as she opened up about motherhood on The Graham Norton Show.

The Long Shot actress revealed that she is teaching her adopted children – Jackson, seven, and August, three – some Afrikaans but isn’t “pushing” her South African roots on them.

Instead, Theron told the host that she wants her “beautiful” and “proud” children to “find themselves” as they grow up.

“I have taught them a little Afrikaans, but it’s a language filled with very conflicted history,” Theron said.

Opening up: Charlize Theron spoke about motherhood as she joined Graham Norton (PA Images on behalf of So TV)

“I am raising two beautiful proud black African girls and I want them to find themselves and not necessarily push my ancestry on them, but I have taught them two very sweet Afrikaans songs about politeness.”

Theron’s comments come days after she revealed that her seven-year-old identifies as female, after first introducing her to the world as a boy.

Long Shot - Trailer

“I thought she was a boy, too. Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said, 'I am not a boy’,” the Hollywood star told the Daily Mail.

“So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive.”

The 43-year-old added to the publication that her “job as a parent is to celebrate them, love them and make sure they have everything they need”.

Theron was joined on the sofa by her film co-star Seth Rogan, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile lead Zac Efron and actor Matthew Broderick. The Specials provided music before popping over for a chat.

The Graham Norton Show airs Friday at 10.35pm on BBC One.

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