We’re used to seeing Richard ‘Dickie’ Wilkins glammed up for the camera (that hair, that whitened smile), but today we’re seeing a different side of dad-of-four Dickie, with the long-time TODAY show entertainment reporter cradling his new baby granddaughter lovingly in his arms.
Taking to Instagram to share his elation, Dickie couldn’t cover up just how excited he was for his second-born child, Rebecca.
“Congratulations to my beautiful daughter Becky and her handsome husband James on the arrival of their little princess Isabella Rose,” Dickie wrote along with the caption #veryproudgrandad.
Aside from cosying up with Australia and Hollywood’s elite every other day in the name of work, Dickie has always been a family man, however, his family life started a little earlier than most with the 63-year-old becoming a father for the first time when he was 18 years old.
Giving birth to his Down Syndrome son, Adam, in his homeland of New Zealand, Dickie, who is also dad to Becky, 34, Nick, 32, Christian, 22, and Estella, 12, says that Adam’s arrival and diagnosis forced him to ditch his “wild” ways. And he couldn’t be more thankful for it.
“I have always described Adam as my rock,” he says.
“I had the potential to be the black sheep of the family, certainly the potential to have a wild side.”
“I fell in love with the new music. I was sort of ready to run with all of that, and then Adam came along. He forced me to grow up.”
What a loving family man… Congrats on your growing family, Dickie!
