Neil Jones has opened up about fatherhood just days after announcing the birth of his first baby with his fiancée Chyna Mills.
Chatting to HELLO! on the red carpet of the Pride of Britain Awards on Sunday evening, the Strictly Come Dancing star spoke about the joy of becoming a dad.
When asked how fatherhood has been treating him so far, Neil said: "Brilliant, just brilliant.
© Ricky Vigil M / Justin E Palmer"I'm just smiling all the time, I can't stop it."
Neil and Chyna announced the arrival of their baby girl earlier this week. Sharing the news with HELLO!, the couple said: "Mum and baby are doing really well, she's everything we hoped for and more."
They also took to Instagram with an adorable black-and-white photo of their baby's tiny feet. They penned in the caption: "Our hearts are full."
The couple announced that they were expecting back in June, with Chyna 13 weeks pregnant at the time. Sitting down with HELLO!, the lovebirds revealed that they were having a little girl and made the announcement in a video filmed at the London Palladium during the Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals tour.
Neil and Chyna were joined by the dancer's co-stars, Dianne Buswell, Gorka Marquez, Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu, Karen Hauer, Nikita Kuzmin, Luba Mushtuk, Nancy Xu and Jowita Przystal. Watch the special moment in the clip below.
"My outlook on life has changed," Neil said on preparing for fatherhood. "It's not just about me anymore – I need to take care of two people.
"Gorka (Marquez) tells me how great it is," the 41-year-old said of his co-star and friend, who has a four-year-old daughter Mia with his fiancée Gemma Atkinson, and recently welcomed a baby boy named Thiago. "People also keep warning me I won't get any sleep. As a dancer, I'm used to that!"
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Strictly stars and their children
- Strictly pro Gorka Marquez and former Strictly contestant Gemma Atkinson share two children, Mia and Thiago.
- Strictly: It Takes Two host Janette Manrara and her dancer husband Aljaz Skorjanec are parents to baby girl Lyra.
- Strictly winners Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley welcomed baby Minnie in January 2023.
- Former Strictly pros James and Ola Jordan share a daughter, Ella.
- Former pro Pasha Kovalev and Rachel Riley share two daughters, Maven and Noa.
- Strictly judge and ex-pro Anton du Beke and his wife Hannah share adorable twins George and Henrietta.
- Former Strictly star Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella became parents to son Matteo in July 2000.
- Professional dancer Natalie Lowe and her husband James Knibbs welcomed their son Jack in December 2020.
- Ben Cohen and former Strictly dancer Kristina Rihanoff met in series 11 and now share a daughter, Milena.
- Ex-Strictly pro Brendan Cole and his wife Zoe Hobbs are parents to Aurelia and Dante.
Neil and Chyna's relationship timeline
Neil and Chyna first crossed paths just after Chyna's stint on Love Island when the Strictly pro slid into her DMs on social media. They then locked eyes at a party and hit it off immediately.
The couple went public with their romance in August 2022, although kept details of their relationship under wraps. They went on to make various public appearances, including at the Guardians of the Galaxy experience in London.
© David M. BenettThe lovebirds confirmed their engagement in April this year in an interview with HELLO!.
Neil popped the big question while on holiday in Bali, a trip he had been secretly planning while on the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour earlier this year.
"I'd already planned to ask Chyna to marry me before we knew she was pregnant. Then we found out and I was like: 'Oh, this is brilliant, everything is coming together,'" Neil told us.
Chyna added: "At first, I thought he was joking because we play jokes on each other all the time. Then Neil was like: 'Chyna, so is it a 'yes' or 'no'?' because a few minutes had passed and he was still on one knee. I was like: 'Yeah!'"
Red carpet reporting by Megan Bull and Alex Lilly.
