Eric Roberts Says He 'Couldn't Handle' Being A Father To Emma Roberts

This article contains discussion of substance abuse.If you don't 100% know Eric Roberts, you at least recognize him from a bunch of things.If you're watching this season of "Dancing with the Stars," you can find him there, too.Eric Mccandless / DisneyThere's a good chance you know him best because of his famous family — like his sister Julia Roberts...Arnold Jerocki / WireImage...And his daughter Emma Roberts, of course.Variety / Variety via Getty ImagesAdvertisement So, Eric has a new memoir out, "Runaway Train: Or, the Story of My Life So Far" — and in the book (via Entertainment Weekly), the veteran actor discloses his own regrets regarding how he handled parenting Emma when she was younger.Mega / GC ImagesEric shares Emma with ex-partner Kelly Cunningham."I had abandoned Kelly when Emma was just seven months old," he says, noting that his ex had also seen him at his "absolute worst."Frazer Harrison / Getty Images"Yet she stayed, for a time, though I’m sure she questioned whether or not she should," he adds.

"We both wanted a child — maybe I did more than she — but we both wanted to become parents."Eric also recalls Kelly's "very exciting" pregnancy with Emma, as well as singing "Happy Birthday" to her belly while Emma was still in the womb — but, when it came to being a parent to his daughter, Eric admits that there were things he could've done better.Monica Schipper / Getty Images for King Richard ProductionsAdvertisement "I loved my little daughter with the strength of Hercules, despite my own weaknesses," he writes."However, I couldn’t handle the realities of an infant coming into my life, and I couldn’t handle being a parent! I’m still not a father figure."Tiffany Rose / Getty Images for GBK Brand BarEric also states that his battle with drug addiction made it difficult for him to be a present parent to Emma when she was born and eventually resulted in his losing custody.

"The biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma,"...