Christian Bale 'flew off the handle after family begged for ?100k'

By Dan Newling, Mark Coleman and Liz Thomas
Last updated at 1:50 AM on 25th July 2008

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Privacy please: Christian Bale attended the Barcelona premiere of The Dark Knight with his wife yesterday, but didn't want to discuss the alleged incident

Batman star Christian Bale argued with his sister after she asked him for ?100,000 to help raise her children, it was alleged.

The 34-year-old Batman star is reported to have snubbed the plea and allegedly 'pushed and shoved' Sharon and his mother Jenny, 61, during a row in his suite at the Dorchester Hotel on Sunday night.

A source told The Sun: 'Christian is a very wealthy man and was asked to help his sister out financially.

'He was asked to loan her ?100,000 but he refused and it caused an almighty row.'

Jenny Bale is also said to have made highly disparaging comments about the star's glamorous wife of eight years, Sibi, 38, a former make-up artist and model.

Last night, Bale attended the Spanish premiere of The Dark Knight in Barcelona and told reporters: 'It's a deeply personal matter.'

'I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter.'

The astonishing family feud is said to have happened on Sunday evening in Bale's ?6,000-a-night suite at the Dorchester hotel in central London.

The women, who live relatively modest lifestyles in Dorset, were in capital to attend the following day's premiere of the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight.

However, the family group started to argue about money.

A friend told the Daily Mail said: 'Things got out of control and he now says he wishes he just left the room.  Normally Christian would just call a friend and go out to a pub to cool off.  

'But he was literally trapped into this confrontation with his mother and sister because there was an army of paparazzi and fans outside.'

On bail: The actor signed autographs for fans as he arrived

Although police were informed about Sunday's incident, they decided to wait until they had spoken to the alleged victims before questioning Bale.

Jenny and Sharon Bale gave their statements to police on Monday and on Tuesday

Bale spent nearly five hours at Belgravia police station in central London.  

Though Jenny Bale - who formerly worked as a circus clown and now is a reflexologist - has previously spoken of her pride in her son, the two do not appear to be especially close.

Christian Bale's parents split up when he was 13.  Four years later, while his mother Jenny stayed in Bournemouth, Christian followed his father David to live in America.

Feud: Christian with his sisters Louise, Sharon (circled) and mother Jenny

In stark contrast to Bale's multimillionaire Hollywood lifestyle, Jenny Bale lives in a modest ?275,000, detached house in Southbourne, Dorset.  She drives a VW Beetle decorated with angelwing motifs.

She has worked a dancer, a sword-eater's assistant and has played the Queen of Hearts at an Alice in Wonderland children's theme park.

She brought up Christian and his two sisters Louise and Sharon among a menagerie of family pets, including 12 cats, six dogs, two ponies, 24 guinea pigs, two rabbits and several stick insects.

Christian Bale married Sandra 'Sibi' Blazic, 38, in 2000 after the couple met when she was working as a personal assistant to the actress Winona Ryder on the film Little Women.  They have a three-year-old daughter.

Fast and furious: Bale as the Caped Crusader in The Dark Knight

Yesterday one source close to Christian Bale revealed that the couple had recently been experiencing marital problems.

The actor is also said to have been in a fragile state of mind following the death of his friend Heath Ledger, who also stars in The Dark Knight film, from a drugs overdose. 

Recently he also complained that he had been depressed and suffering from insomnia.

Yesterday neither Jenny nor Sharon Bale - who lives very near her mother in a ?240,000 semi-detached home - were willing to comment.

No comments are permitted on this story as legal proceedings are underway.

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