Alex Rodríguez is having a hard time adjusting to having his oldest daughter out of the house now that she is off on her first year of college.
The former New York Yankees player sent his first kid, Natasha, 18, off to college last month, and recently opened up about how it has been the "hardest" change to his family.
A-Rod is a doting girl dad of two; he and his ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis – who he was married to from 2002 to 2008 – share Natasha as well as youngest daughter Ella, 15.
During a recent appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, he couldn't help but be candid about the emotional rollercoaster that the last month has been, confessing to host Jennifer Hudson: "Oh Jennifer, that was hard."
He noted: "You know, Cynthia, who is my ex-wife, she's one of my greatest friends in the world. I was telling Cynthia, 'I got this. Don't worry about it. It's going to be emotional for me, but Daddy's got it.'"
However it was a different story once he actually made it to the University of Michigan campus, and he continued: "Jennifer, the minute I walked in, I started breaking down," adding: "And it was the hardest thing to drop off your little baby in college."
© Instagram"She's doing great," he did say, though he couldn't help but admit: "But I'm a mess, I go back and we have dinner at night and then I tell my little Ella, 'Ella, isn't it terrible that we miss Natasha?'" however he said Ella is eager to be getting one on one time with her dad.
Natasha is enrolled in Michigan's BFA program to study performing arts, and has a specific interest in musical theater.
Speaking with Us Weekly ahead of the emotional college drop-off, Alex said: "I'm both incredibly proud of Natasha but also incredibly sad that my first baby is leaving us," adding: "You know, for us dads, they're always our babies, even if they're 30 years old."
© InstagramAnd though Natasha is committed to pursuing a career in musical theater, her dad does have some conditions, and said: "My only condition is because all these young actors want to bypass college, and I'm always saying, like, 'You can [study] drama, you can do whatever you want, but as long as you're taking your business classes at Michigan.'"
MORE: Jennifer Lopez's ex-fiance Alex Rodriguez spends quality time with his lookalike daughters
© Getty"They have a great business school… That was [the] deal," he added, referring to the Ross School of Business, which is among the top ten business schools in the country.
Still, he acknowledged: "I think she's crystal clear on what she wants. I mean, she's such a hard worker and doesn't expect any free rides [and] wants to work for everything she gets," adding: "She's [a] special young lady and I think her goal is to perform in one of those big [shows] like a Hamilton or something like that."
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletterand get them delivered straight to your inbox.
