Richard Wilkins has welcomed his first grandchild into the world, and the entertainment guru couldn’t be more smitten.
Wilkins shared the exciting news on social media Monday morning, congratulating his daughter Rebecca and son-in-law James on the arrival of their “little princess”.
The 63-year-old uploaded a photo to Instagram, in which he was seen cradling the adorable newborn, named Isabella Rose.
He wrote: “Congratulations to my beautiful daughter Becky and her handsome husband James on the arrival of their little princess Isabella Rose.” Clearly excited about his new role, the Today show host added the hashtag “#veryproudgranddad”.
Fans were quick to congratulate the Today show reporter with one user saying, “Congratulation, Richard on the beautiful bundle of joy,” while another added, “Gorgeous photo & great news, so happy for you all. Big Congrats!”
Wilkins, is a dad to five children, Adam, Nick, Christian, Rebecca and Estella, but despite having been a parent since he was 18, this is his first foray into the wonderful world of grand-parenting.
Wilkins has previously spoken out about how he had to suddenly grow up at 18 after discovering the girl he was seeing at the time was pregnant. The expectant mother was only 16 years old, but despite her young age, the pair got married, as was expected of many young couples back in the 1960s and ’70s.
Wilkins said he felt even more overwhelmed by the situation after learning his new son Adam had Down Syndrome. “I didn’t quite know how to handle all that at the tender age of 18, but now I often refer to him as my rock,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins soon left his home country of New Zealand to go on the road with his band, sending home the money he made for Adam’s care. He has previously spoken about how much he loves being a father to his five children, saying they make him “enormously proud, deliriously happy”.
“People often say, ‘What’s the greatest thing you’ve ever done’ and I always say the greatest thing in my life are my children – bar none. I love, love, love them so much.”