In September 2011, Hugh Grant's ex-girlfriend Tinglan Hong, a hostess at a Chinese restaurant, gave birth to their daughter Tabitha. At the time, Grant's publicist characterized their relationship as a "fleeting affair" (via MamaMia).
Hugh's daughter's Chinese name is Xiao Xi, which means "happy surprise." In an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show from April 2012, he revealed how it felt to be a first time dad. He said, "I can't pretend it's not a little bit of a surprise but it's a very nice surprise." He went on to say, "It's surprising that everyone was right all these years saying 'Hugh why don't you have some children, it really changes your life.' And you're thinking oh shut up. And now that I have I have to say it is quite life changing, I quite like it."
Unfortunately, the British press is not known for its subtlety and Grant realized that he and Tinglan were being photographed without their knowledge. As a result, Grant was not able to be present at his first child's birth. In a statement given in a court hearing addressing the invasion of privacy surrounding the birth of his daughter (via The Guardian), he said: "As detailed in my main statement, I have had too many experiences of hospital staff being paid to leak information to the press. It wasn't that I was worried about people knowing I was the father of a child. It was a determination to try and protect Tinglan and my child from a press firestorm."
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