Matt LeBlanc’s surprise appointment as the second presenter on Top Gear was announced with great fanfare last week.
However, the Friends actor shunned the limelight for many years after the series and the spin-off, Joey, came to a close, refusing work from his agent and not leaving his ranch in California for extended periods of time.
Speaking to The Mirror, LeBlanc said he had gone through a “very dark time" after his marriage broke down and his baby daughter was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia, a disorder affecting the brain and motor functions, coming close to having a nervous breakdown.
“For years and years, I barely left the house,” the 48-year-old said. “I was burnt out. I wanted to not have a schedule, not be somewhere. I was in a position to do that. My agent was bummed. Most actors call their agents and say, ‘What’s going on?’. I’d call mine and say, ‘Please lose my number for a few years’. It was a very dark time. I almost had a nervous breakdown.”
His daughter Marina is now 11 and has outgrown the condition. He and his ex-wife Melissa McKnight share joint custody of her.
“I remember when my daughter, Marina, was born. The second I laid eyes on her, I was in love, and I had never felt that way before. I couldn’t believe it. I knew from that moment there was nothing that would ever stop me from loving her - even if she crashed my Ferrari.”
