Marek Kondrat speaks candidly about his children. He revealed the nature of the relationship between his 8-year-old daughter and his adult sons

Marek Kondrat on becoming a father later in life. Today, he sees it in a completely different light

For years, Marek Kondrat has appeared in the media far less frequently and has been very sparing with details about his family. Recently, however, he gave an interview to *Zwierciadło*, in which he spoke, amongst other things, about fatherhood. The actor is the father of three children. From his first marriage, he has two adult sons, Mikołaj and Wojciech, whilst he is raising 8-year-old Helenka with Antonina Turnau. There is a 44-year age gap between Kondrat’s eldest son and his daughter.

Kondrat admitted that the experience of fatherhood at this stage of his life is very different from what he went through years ago. When his sons were born, he was a young man and was simultaneously building his acting career at a rapid pace. Today, he can devote much more time to his daughter, and parenthood no longer comes with the same pressure.

In an interview with *Zwierciadło*, the actor highlighted the anxiety that often affects young parents.

Without fear, [unlike then – ed.], as it was the first time round. Because when you’re a young parent, the age gap between the child we’ve brought into the world and ourselves isn’t very big. The anxiety back then is really about ourselves – whether we’ll manage – especially as we can’t quite get our own lives sorted out, and yet here we are having to look after another person,” said Marek Kondrat.

The actor also makes no secret of the fact that today he has the opportunity to observe his daughter’s upbringing more closely. With his sons, it was different, as work took up a significant part of his daily life.

Bringing up a girl is completely different from bringing up sons. Now I have time to be there for her, to watch her grow. When you’re young, you don’t have that time, because you have to work and, along the way, you end up neglecting your family,” he admitted.

Marek Kondrat on the cost of a career. He admitted that his family suffered as a result

For decades, Marek Kondrat was one of Poland’s most recognisable actors. However, his intense work in the theatre and on film sets meant numerous sacrifices. With the benefit of hindsight, the actor speaks openly about how his professional commitments also affected his loved ones.

As he pointed out, popularity means that an actor never ceases to be a public figure once they leave the theatre or the film set. In his view, such a lifestyle can have a particularly severe impact on children.

There is a constant battle against overwhelming enemy forces, a constant state of readiness, and it is a torment. Both for the actor and for the family. Because we become strangers in our own home. But when we step out onto the street, we belong to everyone. The children suffer because of this, because their dad isn’t really theirs,” he confessed.

Kondrat revealed what sort of relationship his daughter has with his adult sons

Although there is a huge age gap between Marek Kondrat’s children, the family remains close-knit. The actor’s eldest son, Mikołaj, is involved in the wine business, whilst Wojciech has made a career in music.

Kondrat assures us that he has a good relationship with his adult sons and enjoys spending time with them. Interestingly, an equally warm bond has formed between Mikołaj and Wojciech and their youngest sister. Although more than four decades separate Helenka from her eldest brother, this has not prevented them from forming a close relationship.

“We’re close, we stick together, I enjoy spending time with them. (…) They both have a brilliant sense of humour, and Hela loves them very much,” said Marek Kondrat.

The actor lives with his family in Kraków. He denied reports about Spain

Marek Kondrat also addressed the rumours that have circulated over the years, suggesting that he and Antonina Turnau had moved to Spain. The actor explained that the reality is quite different. The family lives in Kraków on a day-to-day basis, where Helenka goes to school.

Kondrat does indeed have a house in Spain, but he mainly uses it when the weather turns cold in Poland. As he emphasised, it was never a permanent move.

We never actually moved there; that

was

just media speculation. Yes, I did build a house there, which serves as a refuge during the cold months in Poland. We live in Kraków. Helenka has started school and needs to socialise, so moving away is out of the question,” explained Marek Kondrat.

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