The following article includes mentions of addiction, child abuse, and mental health issues.
Tom Hanks lives a very public life.
(short for Elizabeth Anne) Hanks, Chester “Chet” Hanks, and Truman Hanks.
Chet and Truman are fromTom’s relationship with Rita Wilson, while Colin and E.A.
are his from a prior marriage.
And the upbringing Colin and E.A.
While Colin hasn’t spoken publicly about his childhood, E.A.
Take a closer look at the tragic details about Tom Hanks' daughter, E.A.
Tom was first married to Susan Dillingham, a woman he’d met in college.
Tom and Dillingham were together for about nine years and had two children together, Colin Hanks and E.A.
“I am a kid from the First (non-famous) Marriage.
I have one picture of me standing between my parents.
In it, my mother’s best wig is slightly askew,” E.A.
After Tom and Dillingham got divorced, Colin and E.A.
was 5 years old, Dillingham suddenly moved her children from Los Angeles to Sacramento.
“My dad came to pick us up from school and we’re not there.
only got stranger from there.
Hanks lived with an abusive parent
E.A.
Hanks did not have the happiest childhood.
Her mother, Susan Dillingham, was abusive in many ways.
At first, Dillingham’s abuse was not physical, but it soon became so.
Eventually, Dillingham’s abuse seeped beyond the confines of their home.
She squeezed me hard enough that I made a noise, and she got very close to my face.
I remember the other woman watching us, her worried expression.
It was new for Mom to be this unsettled in public,” E.A.
said in her book (viaE!
When Dillingham ultimately hit her daughter, E.A.
detailed the altercation to Colin, and he helped sort out the situation.
Hanks' mother struggled with addiction
As noted, E.A.
Hanks had an interesting relationship with her mother, Susan Dillingham.
“When a friend asks me, ‘What was your mom like?’
I sometimes wish for an easier answer.
But as Hanks explored in her book, things between the two were very complicated.
In addition to being abusive toward Hanks, Dillingham struggled with addiction.
While Dillingham recognized she struggled with addiction and sought help, she also did so in an unhealthy way.
Hanks also inadvertently attended many recovery classes as a child.
Hanks believes her mother had an undiagnosed mental illness
While E.A.
Hanks' mother, Susan Dillingham, struggled with addiction and clearly confronted it, E.A.
believes that Dillingham also unwittingly struggled with mental illness.
Since becoming an adult and reflecting on her childhood, E.A.
has come to a conclusion on what she believes her mother had.
wrote in her book (via E!
While Dillingham’s undiagnosed mental illness certainly created problems for her family at home, E.A.
has lots of empathy for what her mother went through, too.
It’s a life that, yes, strikes me as sad,” E.A.
Hanks in many ways.
The fridge was bare or full of expired food more often than not," E.A.
Some of the issues that E.A.
experienced due to her upbringing impacted her well into adulthood, which she didn’t realize until years later.
As a result, E.A.
went over a decade without going to the dentist.
Hanks hardly had a relationship with her father as a child
E.A.
Because of her parents' custody agreement, after their divorce, E.A.
didn’t see her father Tom Hanks very much.
From the time she was 5 years old, E.A.
It wasn’t until E.A.
said in her memoir of her new living arrangement, per People.
Despite their distance for most of E.A.
“Rita’s not really a stepmother, she’s my other mother.”
is also close with her two half-brothers from Tom’s second marriage they were young when E.A.
moved in with Tom and Rita, and she sees them more as full siblings than half siblings.
Hanks' mother died of cancer
To make life more complex for E.A.
Hanks, when she was 19 years old, her mother, Susan Dillingham, died.
Dillingham had been diagnosed with bone cancer, and it took her quickly.
Upon her death, E.A.
dealt with the clerical aftermath, but it took her some time to unpack her emotions.
The house went on the market and everything went into storage.
said in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Years later, in 2019, when E.A.
The result of this six-month journey was E.A.
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact theirlive chat services.
