George Stephanopoulos is a doting dad to two daughters, Harper and Elliott, who have flown the nest to attend college.
The Good Morning America star and his wife Ali Wentworth are both getting used to an empty home without their children, with youngest daughter Harper having moved to Nashville last month.
So when Harper, 17, phoned her parents last week, they were both more than made up.
Ali took to Instagram to share a joyful photo of George relaxing in their luxury living room at their home in New York, dressed in a smart suit while talking to his daughter on FaceTime.
Ali also featured in the picture, as she took the selfie, looked sophisticated in a black shirt and chic glasses.
"The pure happiness he gets when we get a FaceTime from college! #emptynesters," Ali wrote alongside the image.
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Fans were quick to remark on the picture, with one writing: "Getting those FaceTimes is the greatest," while another wrote: "You drop everything to answer that call!" A third added: "I don’t know how parents handled college before FaceTime!"
© InstagramAli had been very open about her struggles acknowledging her youngest daughter's departure from the family home, and was distraught when they dropped Harper off at college at the end of August.
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When they said their goodbyes, the Go Ask Ali podcast star posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, asking her followers to supply her with baked goods while she processes the emotional change from bed.
"We dropped our baby off at college. Everyone is saying 'she’s ready to launch'! But… I don’t think I’m ready!," she wrote.
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"I don’t want to stop making pasta with vodka sauce, picking up wet towels, cuddling up to her familiar scent. As Joni Mitchell once wrote- 'the bed’s too big, the frying pan too wide'.
"I know our daughter will thrive. But man, it’s brutal on the parents. If you feel inclined- please send me baked goods. I’ll be under my covers."
George himself opened up about the big transition during an episode of Good Morning America shortly after dropping Harper off, where he revealed his supportive words to his daughter before leaving her to settle in her college dorm.
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"Go with the flow. Be engaged. Be curious," he told the teenager.
While George is relatively private when it comes to talking about his family life, he previously gave an insight into what kind of father he was when chatting to Men's Health in 2022.
© Nina WesterveltHe wrote for the publication last year: I’m a pretty relaxed father. But as our younger daughter, Harper, says, the only thing I’m strict about as a dad is family dinner, and the rest of my friends think, like, that’s pretty weird.
"I don’t want to romanticize these nightly dinners. There are days when I don’t want to shop or cook or corral everyone. We’ve had disasters where the food is terrible or we’re all cranky. Plenty of the dinners have involved everybody rushing, finishing the meal in less than 20 minutes.”
Sadly when their eldest daughter Harper went to university it brought about a change for the family, he added: “Elliott went to college last fall, but Harper is still home. We still have family dinners, though not as frequently. (Harper does not always love being the sole focus of attention.) I miss the ritual.”
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