Richard Gere and his family recently moved to Spain, upping sticks to the native country of his wife, Alejandra Silva.
Speaking of the big move, the Pretty Woman actor said he "owed" it to Alejandra, after she'd lived in the US with him for several years, telling Jimmy Fallon: "She gave me about seven years here, so we're going to spend some years in Madrid with her family."
Richard and Alejandra's sons, Alexander, five, and James, four, are likely to settle into their new life quickly, with Richard explaining: "Our kids are bilingual, so they're going to flourish there."
© Michael LoccisanoAs well as helping them fit in in Spain, speaking multiple languages will be a huge benefit to the boys as they grow up.
"Children are amazing language learners, so it’s great to start kids learning when they are young," says Dr. Cindy Blanco, learning scientist at Duolingo. "Not only are their brains more flexible, but they are fearless learners.
"They aren’t afraid to make mistakes or repeat themselves and they are so motivated to connect with their caregivers and playmates that they jump right into the language."
What are the benefits of being bilingual?
Keen to further understand the benefits of speaking multiple languages, HELLO! spoke to Kirsty, a doctor who grew up trilingual. She was born to British parents and lived in Italy as a child before moving to France, where she went to an international school.
© Instagram1. Excellent career prospects
"In a lot of jobs, having multiple languages can be really attractive in helping you network," Kirsty says. "It gives people a heightened idea of your intelligence, even if you probably didn't work hard at learning it because you did it effortlessly as a child. It seems to be something that's highly regarded and sought after later in life professionally."
SEE: Richard Gere's children are growing up fast in ultra-rare photo following major life change
2. It's easier to relate to others
"Aside from the obvious being able to communicate with people in different languages, one of the key benefits of being bilingual from childhood is you get to understand the culture and the subtleties of the language which give you the ability to relate on a cultural level to people," Kirsty says.
© Instagram"You know the register, you understand the sense of humour and the language so much better, which can act as a pass when you travel and meet native speakers. It allows you to access the culture a lot more easily than if you're an adult learner because you've mastered the way people think from an early age."
DISCOVER: Everything Richard Gere, 75, has said about parenting his three sons
3. You can express yourself freely
"I find is that it can be really nice and refreshing to be multi-cultural," adds Kirsty. "You can tap into your identities depending on your mood. Some languages are really good for moaning in - for example, French - some languages are really good for expressing beauty, enjoyment of food and art - for instance, the Italian language has so many words for appreciation compared to English, there are so many ways of saying something is beautiful!"
We're looking forward to updates on how Richard, Alejandra and their family get on with their new life.
