Pierce Brosnan thanks Irish genes for his age-resistant looks

Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan has credited his youthful film star looks to his Irish genes.

The former Bond star, who divides his time between his beachfront homes in Malibu and Hawaii, loves the outdoor life

The Navan-born star, who turned 60 last year, is happy he isn’t showing too many signs of ageing, although he has resigned himself to growing old.

He said in an interview with Woman’s Weekly: “I do seem to have some good Irish genes although I think I’ll wake up one morning and the door will hit me on the back of the head, my teeth will fall out, my hair will fall, and it will be all over.

“It’s just life,” says Brosnan. “They say growing old ain’t for sissies. It’s true. The older you get, the stronger you have to get. You just have to accept certain things and make peace with it and get on with it.”

However, the actor, who has been working on a string of movies, is showing some signs of his age with his professed newfound interest in hardware stores.

“I love hardware stores,” he says. “I don’t buy much because I’m no good with a hammer and a nail but they’re just pleasant places to look around.”

Brosnan also told how he leans on his family for support in the wake of the tragic death of his daughter Charlotte last year from the same disease that killed her mother Cassandra in 1991.

“We all have our ‘black dog’ days but we just have to work through them,” he says. “It helps that I am a family man because they are a great support to me.”

He said he feels very blessed to have found love a second time around with his wife Keely after meeting her at an environmental conference 20 years ago.

“Keely wasn’t looking for anyone at the time and neither was I,” says Brosnan.

“But I think we meet the people we’re supposed to meet. I’m the luckiest man to have found such a beautiful woman with such compassion and intelligence and love for life. I thank God for her and the kids every day.”

Brosnan says he tries to be a supportive parent to his four sons, Christopher, 41, and Sean, 30, from his first marriage; and Dylan, 16, and Paris, 12.

He says he and his family divide their time between homes in the exotic locations of Malibu and Hawaii.

“Keely is an environmentalist and I’ve always enjoyed the outside life so we’re bringing our kids up with a respect for nature,” says Brosnan. “I even learned to surf a couple of years ago.”

Meanwhile, Brodsnan says he loved working with Oscar-winning Emma Thompson on their upcoming movie, Love Punch.

He says: “She is a magical person. She has such a joy of life and is so gifted.”

However, Brosnan says he regretted not learning French by the time he arrived on set in France.

“Emma speaks French and I don’t,” he says. “There’s no excuse because I had eight months off before we did the film and I had the choice of either learning French or how to play the piano and I learned how to play the piano.

“Once we got to France, Emma was off talking to people everywhere and I was left there like a silent Irishman with nothing to say for myself.”