Celebs who became young grandparents as Ronan Keating welcomes grandchild at 46
Ronan Keating has become a grandad at the age of 46 as his son Jack - star of Love Island 2022 - revealed the birth of his baby girl, whose mum hasn’t been named.
The former Boyzone frontman proudly hailed his brand new granddaughter as a “little cutie” as his eldest son shared a black and white snap of himself cuddling the newborn.
But Ronan isn’t nearly the youngest celebrity grandparent around.
From soap stars to Hollywood A-listers, some of the most recognisable faces on screen have welcomed the next generation into their lineages.
Here’s a look at some of the surprisingly youthful nans and pops we know.
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(INSTAGRAM)Danny Dyer
EastEnders star Danny became a grandpa at 44 when his daughter Dani - who also appeared on Love Island - gave birth to Santiago in January 2021, and is now pregnant with twins.
The Cockney ‘ardman admitted his grandson made him grow up in a way having kids didn’t, revealing on their dad-daughter podcast Sorted With The Dyers that it was an “honour” to call himself grandad.
Danny Dyer (Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/REX/Shutterstock)
Danny Dyer with daughter Dani on Santiago's first birthday“In my head I’m still 20 in a way,” he said. “I’ve just got to try and get my head around the fact that I could be a great-grandad by the time I’m 60.
"That’s what freaks me out more than anything else. Then a great great-grandad by the time I’m 80. F**k me.”
Little Santiago, now two, often crops up on Danny’s social media, and soon he’ll be joined by two baby sisters when Dani Junior gives birth to her and footballer partner Jarrod Bowen’s identical twins in June.
Dean Gaffney
Dean GaffneyDanny’s fellow ‘Enders star Dean also got a family title upgrade aged 43 when his daughter Chloe, then 24, welcomed little Mimi in July 2020.
Having become a dad at the age of 18 with ex-partner Sarah Burge, Dean joked people would mistake Mimi for his own baby when he was out and about with her.
“I’m so proud,” he said at the time. “Lots of my mates are becoming dads, but I’m a grandad at the same age.
“The only person I know who’s in the same boat as me is Danny Dyer, who has a grandchild at 43. I’ll be calling him for tips. We could do grandaddy daycare together!”
CeeLo Green
Cee Lo Green during an interview on February 10, 2012 (NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)American singer CeeLo became a grandad at just 35 while his chart-topping 2010 single F*** You was dominating the UK airwaves.
'I tricked my sister into giving her baby a stupid name - she had it coming'
His adopted daughter Sierra Johnson, who had appeared on MTV’s hit reality show My Super Sweet 16, gave birth to a son when she was 20.
“I’m a grandfather. I’m 35,” the Gnarls Barkley singer told Chelsea Handler on her talk show. “She had a son so I have a grandson.”
He also revealed how Sierra, who is his stepdaughter from his marriage to Christina Johnson, got her TV break when she charmed MTV bosses into giving her an episode of the show before she’d even turned 16.
“She was actually turning 15 on that show,” he laughed. “MTV took a liking to her and they allowed her to be an exception for this show.”
Since welcoming more grandkids to the family, Cee Lo told fans on Twitter of their pet name for him. “My children/grandchildren call me poppi. My lil one Izzy is my biggest fan,” he revealed.
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland became a grandad aged 39 (WireImage)Kiefer Sutherland took some time out of being 24’s Jack Bauer to become grandad at 39, after stepdaughter Michelle Kath gave birth to son Hamish Sinclair in 2005.
Describing his grandson as “a train wreck”, the Lost Boys actor told the Mirror:”He already looks like a failed boxer. He falls down a lot and he gets cut up and he’s just beautiful.
“He’s one of the great pleasures of my life.”
Kiefer has since welcomed a second grandson, Quinn, into the family, making his actor dad Donald Sutherland, now 87, a great-grandad twice over.
Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace from EastEnders has also joined the grandparent club (Mike Marsland/WireImage)Another EastEnders star joined the grandparent club when Jessie Wallace welcomed little SJ, thanks to her 17-year-old daughter Tallulah, to her clan.
“Welcome to the world, my grandson SJ. You are loved, cherished and adored,” the 50-year-old Kat Slater star wrote on Instagram of his birth in March 2022.
Tallulah, who stays mostly out of the spotlight, hasn’t publicly revealed the father of her baby boy, but a pal said Jessie was “chuffed to bits” about becoming a grandmother.
“Her close circle knew Tallulah was pregnant and how excited the family were. They’re both looking forward to making a lifetime of memories,” they added.
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan became a grandfather in 1998Pierce was already a grandfather by the time he was filming his last four James Bond movies, after his late daughter Charlotte gave birth to little Isabelle Sophie in 1998.
Aged 44 at the time, Pierce was delighted to be promoted to grandad, and has since welcomed three more little ones to the Brosnan crew: Lucas, son to Charlotte, then Marley May and Jaxxon Elijah to his son Sean and his wife Sanja Banic.
Charlotte tragically died in 2013 from ovarian cancer, the same illness that cruelly killed her mother, Pierce’s first wife Cassandra Harris, in 1991 aged 43.
“There’s still a lot of life in the old man and I’ll keep going till I can go no more. Life is so precious,” the Mamma Mia! Star said in 2015.
“It can be snatched away without any prior warning … so why waste it? That’s why I enjoy my wonderful, beautiful family, my children and my grandchildren.”
Kym Marsh
Kym Marsh became a grandmother aged 42 (Mike Marsland/WireImage)Waterloo Road star Kym became a grandmother aged 42, but wanted a cooler title when she found out daughter Emilie was expecting baby Teddy.
“I was delighted to become a grandparent but I didn’t want to be called ‘Grandma’ or ‘Nanna’,” she confessed.
“So I started looking at other names. My husband Scott liked the idea of being called ‘Pop’. Polly, Emilie’s stepdaughter, has always called me ‘Lolly’ and I thought it would be nice to be called ‘Lolly’ and ‘Pop’.”
But Teddy had other ideas. “As Teddy started talking he began calling me ‘Yaya’, I think he was trying to say ‘Lolly’, and it just stuck from there,” the former Hear’Say singer added, “but I looked it up and Yaya is actually a name for grandmother in Greek!”
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