Matt LeBlanc's relationship with his father was left in tatters after he sold a number of stories about the actor to the press.

The star was brought up by single mother Patricia and didn't meet his father Paul until he was eight years old.

Although the pair forged a close relationship, LeBlanc cut him out of his life after landing his breakthrough role on hit sitcom Friends in the 1990s because his dad tried to cash in by selling stories.

LeBlanc tells Britain's The Times Magazine, "You can learn valuable lessons from unpleasant people too. My dad wasn't around when I was born and I only met him for the first time when I was eight.

"We had a good relationship when I was a kid - he taught me how to ride a motorcycle, how to sail a boat, how to tie knots. Since then he has sold stories about me to the tabloids. We don't really speak any more."