The Celebrity Truth

As Heath Ledger’s grieving family sort through the deceased actor’s estate, his family has spoken to the media making claims that Ledger may have fathered a child during a schoolboy affair more than a decade ago.

"That’s actually been a rumor for years," Haydn Ledger, one of Heath’s uncles, told Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) a fortnight ago.

News Ltd newspapers quoted him yesterday saying that "there was a real possibility" that Ledger was the father a child, now aged 11, from a brief affair he had with an older woman, who had a partner at the time.

The woman, who lives in WA, reportedly discovered that she was pregnant after her relationship with then 17-year-old Ledger was over. She would not comment when contacted by an Australian newspaper, other than to refuse a “very, very rude” request to have the child DNA-tested.

Her husband asked for privacy given that the child, a daughter aged about 11, could be "incredibly hurt" if identified, and told SMH that his wife was stressed by the claims, and is just weeks away from giving birth.

"We want nothing to do with any of it,” he said.

“I don’t need anything or want anything. I’m just very protective of my children."

The comments have fueled speculation about another possible claim on Ledger’s estate following the actor’s death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs two months ago.

The actor’s estate, estimated to be worth at least $10 million, will be split among his parents, Kim and Sally, his sister, Kate, and his half-sisters Olivia and Ashleigh. Court documents reportedly acknowledge Matilda, Ledger’s two-year-old daughter with the actress Michelle Williams, as an interested party.

Two of Ledger’s uncles have raised concerns about the actor’s father managing the estate, claiming that he mishandled their grandfather’s $2 million estate several years ago.

"He was the executor of our grandfather’s estate and left it in total tatters," Mike Ledger said.

Added Heath’s uncle Haydn Ledger, "I couldn’t give two knobs of goat shit about the money. It was never money. We knew we were going to get nothing."

Kim Ledger would not comment, but has previously stressed that Matilda will be looked after.

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