Lionel Richie “couldn’t hold back the tears” when he found out his daughter was pregnant.
The singer has an adoptive daughter Nicole, 42 — who has Harlow, 16, and Sparrow, 14, with husband Joel Madden — as well as Miles, 29, and 25-year-old Sofia with ex-wife Diane Alexander and now an insider has claimed that he was “absolutely thrilled” to learn that his youngest and Elliot Grainge are expecting their first child together even though he got emotional as he realized his “baby girl” is growing up.
“Lionel is absolutely thrilled for Sofia and Elliot. He was ecstatic when they told him and the family that they were expecting their first child. Sofia is Lionel’s youngest, and it was such a bittersweet moment for him, because he realizes his baby girl is all grown up and going to become a mom. He couldn’t hold back the tears. It was such a joyous moment for him,” a source told Us Weekly.
The insider added that the “Hello” singer is a close friend of Grainge’s dad and the pair are “definitely celebrating” the news that they are both about to become grandfathers together.
“Lionel and Lucian [Grainge, Elliot’s dad], have been close for years, so they’re definitely celebrating this incredible time together. Lionel’s heart is so full with love for the both of them, and he knows they’re going to make amazing parents,” the source said.
The model is six months pregnant but only announced the news on Friday, Jan. 26 and explained that she had kept the news to herself for so long in an attempt to “protect” both herself and her husband.
“Pregnancy is really scary and you want to protect that space. I didn’t realize there are so many milestones you have to hit and so many tests you have to take. For me, it was really important to protect our mental health and our space as a couple,” she told Vogue.
