Daniel Macpherson is embracing the lessons that fatherhood is bringing
"Looking back now, you can’t make decisions about life as a parent when you’re not a parent."
It was the baby announcement of all baby announcements when Aussie actors Daniel Macpherson and Zoe Ventoura shocked fans this month by letting everyone know that they had become parents … six months ago!
The famously private pair chose to keep the happy news of the arrival of their first child together under wraps, but the cat was let out of the bag, so to speak, when photos of them spending time with their new son at home in Sydney emerged online.
“I am very happy to confirm that Zoë and Dan welcomed a baby boy in December last year,” a spokesperson for the couple told The Herald Sun.
“Austin Xavier arrived healthy and smiling. Mum, Dad and baby are all happy and well.”
Now new dad, Daniel has spoken about his fatherhood journey so far on the Samantha Gash podcast and it seems COVID-19 has been a blessing is disguise for the first-time parents.
First-time parents, Daniel Macpherson and Zoe Ventura managed to keep the arrival of their son entirely secret for six whole months!
Daniel, 40, had previously given fans a rare insight into his personal life, in a hilariously relatable tweet about fatherhood that struck a chord with his followers.
“5 months in and I’ve learnt that 90% of fatherhood is yelling ‘which bag is it in?’ from the other room,” he joked.
And now he’s going deeper into the realities of fatherhood with Samantha Gash.
Like it has for most of us, COVID-19 has meant a slow-down on life for Daniel and Zoe, and as new parents the timing could not be better.
“Time has been really a blessing to just press stop and be completely present where I am, to enjoy being around not only my own family but my father and my sister and just be back in Australia and not be looking when the next flight is to the next job to the next place,” says Daniel who returned home from work in Ireland when the pandemic struck.
“It doesn’t matter what you believe in, whether you believe in God or the universe or Mother Nature or karma or whatever, life puts you where you’re supposed to be,” said the Strike Back star. “And life went hey man, you’re going to be right there, locked inside an apartment for x amount of months with your son and your wife and thank you! What a gift!”
Daniel and Zoe have been embracing the forced isolation of COVID-19 to bond as a family with their newborn son.
When asked what fatherhood has taught him, the former Neighbours star was quick to admit that it has let him know what is really important and how to “just to be present”.
“Looking back now, you can’t make decisions about life as a parent when you’re not a parent,” he confessed. “There’s things in our DNA, in our cells that we don’t even know about that get awakened when you’re looking back at a little version of yourself staring back at you going ‘Love me, hug me, feed me, hold me’ when all of a sudden, the next job doesn’t really matter.”
Fatherhood has also brought the busy star closer with his own father.
“Even in those first couple of months before he was born, it really has shed light on my relationship with my father,” Daniel said. “My father and I are now the closest we’ve ever been and I understand his love for me and the way he has shown that throughout my life a lot more and that’s been really lovely.”
WATCH: Dan MacPherson says “cells were awakened” when looking at baby son Austin. Continues after video …
Daniel and 39-year-old Zoe met and fell in love on the set of Channel Seven drama Wild Boys in 2011 and secretly tied the knot in Noosa – the same place the actor proposed – four years later.
“Mr & Mrs ….. Proud to say that Zoe and I were married last Thursday in a small celebration, surrounded by family, friends and lots of love,” Daniel wrote on Instagram a week after their nuptials.
“It’s been a beautiful few days. We couldn’t be happier.”
They had previously split their time between LA and Sydney, but now the couple are based permanently in Australia.
