British television’s golden boy and beloved X Factor host Dermot O’Leary has officially stepped into the role of “dad” — and at the age of 51, he’s proving that fatherhood doesn’t come with an expiration date. But it wasn’t the timing of the birth or the healthy arrival of the baby that had his wife, Dee Koppang, in tears — it was what Dermot whispered the moment their child entered the world.
The usually composed presenter reportedly became “completely undone” as he watched the miracle unfold before him. According to a source close to the family, Dermot gripped Dee’s hand tightly and, just as the baby let out its first cry, he leaned in and said something that stopped everyone in the room.
“He looked at her and said, ‘This is what I was always meant to do. I finally get it.’ Dee just broke down in tears.”
The emotional moment caught even the midwives off guard, with one reportedly whispering, “You don’t see men like that every day.”
Dermot and Dee, married since 2012, had kept their journey to parenthood largely private. Fans were thrilled earlier this year when Dermot casually mentioned on his radio show that the couple was “expecting a very small and hopefully very loud new arrival.”
Now, that arrival has made a big impression — not just on his parents, but on the public, who are praising Dermot for his openness, raw honesty, and overwhelming love in the delivery room.
“He was shaking,” Dee later told a close friend. “He kept saying, ‘How did you do this? How did you carry something so perfect?’”
Friends of the couple say Dermot has already thrown himself into nappies, 3 a.m. feeds, and lullabies — albeit with his signature charm and a playlist that includes everything from Bowie to Blur.
One friend joked, “He’s got the baby swaddled in one arm and the baby monitor in the other like it’s a BAFTA trophy.”
But it’s not all sleepless nights and spilled milk. Sources say Dermot is planning to step back from some of his media commitments this year, wanting to savour every moment of fatherhood — something he feared might never come.
“He didn’t know if it was in the cards,” a close friend said. “Now that it’s here, he doesn’t want to miss a second.”
Fans online have flooded his Instagram with congratulations and emotional messages, many touched by the idea of becoming a dad later in life. One comment read: “As someone who became a parent at 50, this made me cry. You’re going to be the best dad, Dermot.”
As for the baby’s name, the couple hasn’t officially announced it — though rumours suggest it holds a deeply personal meaning tied to Dermot’s late father, Seán, who passed away in 2021. Some believe that moment in the delivery room was not just about joy, but healing.
Whatever the name, one thing is clear: Dermot O’Leary’s life has changed forever — and judging by his words in the delivery room, it’s a change he’s embracing with all his heart.