Idris Elba speaks about his break-up with Naiyana Garth

Idris Elba comments on coping with his break-up: ‘Life turns to sh*t when I’m not acting

Idris Elba has spoken about his split from girlfriend Naiyana Garth after two-and-a-half years together.

Rumours of the actor and his partner – who have a 23-month-old son called Winston – had broken up surfaced after he was seen attending the Screen Actor’s Guild without Naiyana by his side.

They have since confirmed their split, and the actor has now admitted that ‘life turns to sh*t’ when he’s not working, and that acting helps him cope with the split.

He told BANG Showbiz: ‘Therapy is a good way to cleanse my … when I’m not acting is when my life falls to sh*t. It’s really interesting.

‘I’m going through this b**s now ‘cos I’m not on a film set. Had I been on a set I wouldn’t even have noticed. Probably.

At the awards Idris received the best actor award for Beasts Of No Nation, but failed to thank his girlfriend during his acceptance speech.

A source said at the time: ‘It ended very recently and it’s too soon for her to talk about it. They’ve kept it very quiet so she’s surprised people know already.

‘It’s very sad that this has happened while Idris is experiencing the highest points of his professional career and they can’t celebrate it with each other.