(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Tom Hardy has recalled how his young son "took [him] to the floor" with one kick.

The British actor has four-year-old son Louis with a former partner. Tom loves spending time with his boy, but admits when Louis was a baby he once regretted playing around while changing his nappy.

"I managed to survive my entire life without getting kicked in the testicles. And then one day I was changing the nappy of my son. It was a sock dance, I put him on his back and he was moving his feet about. I was like, Come on' and he brought his heel down and clipped the top of my left testicle. It took me to the f**king floor, man," he laughed in the latest issue of Esquire.

The 34-year-old was left writhing in pain on the floor after Louis' clean strike. Tom was astounded by the impact of the blow and quickly sympathised with other men who have suffered similar injuries.

"I didn't see it coming, I was loose. And I took it straight on the bell," he added. "I thought, Jesus. That's what it's like to be kicked in the balls.' Excruciating agony. And my son is only a foot-and-a-half long." (C) Cover Media