It’s never too late to become a dad – just take a look at this decrepit lot. Let’s just hope, says Rob Kemp, they don’t hold their breath waiting to be called ‘grandpa’.
1. JULIO IGLESIAS SR
Admittedly he’s only the father of a celebrity but he’s an icon in his own right. The former gynaecologist, who was once kidnapped by ETA, provided his singer son Julio with step-brother James, in 2004. It meant an age gap between the siblings of just 51 years. Julio Snr was 86 when his 40-year-old wife underwent fertility treatment to conceive James and the couple didn’t stop there. In July 2006 a fourth Iglesias junior, Ruth, arrived – unfortunately a heart attack seven months earlier meant old man Julio never lived to see her.
2. DES O’CONNOR
Making our number two spot in the top 10 of old-time dads is nothing to be ashamed of – unlike owning any of Des’ records. Seven years into his free bus pass age the former jockey, Northampton Town footballer and veteran entertainer went from Careless Hands to caring parent after the birth of his fifth child, Adam, in 2004. He confessed to crying as his thenfiancee Jodie, 36 years his junior, gave birth – then playing an active role in the midnight feeds and lullabies (poor kid). Now daddy Des is back off to work as the new host of Countdown.
3. LUCIANO PAVAROTTI
Already a father of three daughters when he became known to the masses in 1990, the tenor who ‘lifted’ the World Cup with his rendition of Puccini's aria, Nessun Dorma has since become a Dad once more. His former secretary, Nicoletta Mantovani, bore him twins in 2003. Sadly only one, Alice, survived. Pavarotti has called her his ‘inspiration’ as the heart-on-hishankie performer continues his recovery from pancreatic cancer.
4. JOHN SIMPSON
‘I’ll get my Dad on to you’ is a threat that’ll carry a lot of weight if ever young Ranulph Simpson finds himself being bullied. No stranger to a bit of a ruck, Simpson Snr is of course the BBC’s world affairs editor who ‘liberated’ Kabul from the Taliban and was shot by friendly fire in Iraq. When asked about becoming a dad for the third time in 2006 at the age of 61, John Cody Fidler-Simpson CBE, to give him his full title, said: “There’ll be all sorts of advantages to counter balance the problems of age ... I can now give him a more rounded person, less spiky, much calmer person.” Ahhh.
5. DAVID JASON
‘Ere Rodney you’ll never guess what Del Boy’s gone and done. ‘E’s only had ‘imself a little chavvy ain’t he!’Well, that’s not quite how baby Sophie Mae’s arrival was announced in the Peckham Gazette in 2001, but it was undoubtedly a ‘lovely jubbly’ moment for the star of Frost and Only Fools & Horses. Sophie Mae is also chuffed to bits – who better could she have reading her Danger Mouse and Count Duckula bedtime stories than the man who brought the cartoon superheroes to life?
6. MICHAEL DOUGLAS
At 53 and already a father of a grown-up son, you’d think Michael’s basic instinct would tell him that he’d done his bit on the fathering front. But the man who won an academy award as cold-hearted Gordon Gekko in Wall Street has sired twice more and shown himself to be a devoted dad to Dylan Thomas (born in 2000) and Cerys Zeta (2003). So what on earth would possess a man to jump back into the babymaking sack again? One answer in three words: Catherine Zeta-Jones.
7. ROD STEWART
“The older you get, the more you can appreciate that you can still bring another life into this world,” said the then 60-year-old rooster-haired rocker Rod when the seventh addition to the Stewart clan was born in 2005.With a list of blonde exes that reads like a fantasy harem, including Britt Ekland and Rachel Hunter, Rod admits his lifestyle hasn’t always made him the most attentive parent. But he quite literally threw himself into fatherhood this time around – leaping into the birthing pool to join model Penny Lancaster at baby Alistair’s arrival.
8. KEN LIVINGSTONE
Just when you think someone’s devoted their life to a monk-like habit of newt breeding and mass debating they pull off a stroke like this. Red Ken, London’s alderman elect and Labour’s pain for many a year became the daddy to Thomas in 2002 – at the variety age of 57. He’s also fathered a daughter, Mia, born in 2004 and Londoners now fear he’ll introduce a conception charge to help cover the cost of raising his kids in the capital.
9. GORDON BROWN
Politicians rarely provoke much sympathy, but in the case of Gordon Brown there’s an exception. His candid description of the effect the death of his first child had upon him exposed a side to the Chancellor that tugged on the heartstrings of every parent. This effect was furthered recently following the recent news of baby Fraser’s cystic fibrosis. Tipped to be Tony’s successor, Gordon became a father for the third time in 2006, aged a sprightly 55.We just hope the economic conditions are right and that the full monetary requirements are in place for the Brown boys when it comes to pocket money time.
10. DAVID BOWIE
Aladin Sane? No, but a dad in his 50’s. Bowie’s as far removed from your regular middle-aged pater as you can get.An experimental musician and actor whose much-publicised dalliances with bisexuality, cocaine snorting and platform shoes down the years mean the ‘Thin White Duke’ is sure to liven-up the PTA meetings now daughter Alexandria is off to school. Born in 2000 and called ‘Lexi’ for short she’ll be thankful her dad’s wild days are behind him – after all, he named his first child of the glam rock revolution Zowie Bowie.
