Michael Strahan loves being a father and is a doting family man. What's more, the Good Morning America star is incredibly honest and relatable about his parenting journey, which is incredibly refreshing.
The former NFL star became a first-time dad in his twenties and has admitted that while his children have all benefited from a luxurious lifestyle as a result of his high-flying career, in his older children's early childhood, he wasn't always able to be there for them due to the demands of his job.
Michael shares Michael Jr, 28, and Tanita, 31, with ex-wife Wanda Hutchins, and is also stepfather to Wanda's older son, Dorian, who he has remained close to.
While talking to Brooke Shields about the early years of fatherhood, on her podcast, What Now?, on August 1, Michael got candid.
He said: "I didn't know what my future was gonna be. I knew I'd work hard. I knew that if I had an opportunity, I would do my best at it.
"But it was still tough. [I was] so young and having kids and having all the responsibilities, I do look back, and I do wish I did a lot of things better as far as being a parent because I felt like there was so many times I should've probably sacrificed certain things in order to be a little bit more present."
Looking at all the positives too, Michael said: "But then there are times I've looked back, and I think in order to have the life that I've been able to provide and give them, I had to sacrifice a lot of things.
© Getty Images"A lot of people say there's a balance, but it's a really tough balance, and I don't know if there really is one in my instance," he added.
The sports champion is also dad to 18-year-old twins Isabella and Sophia, who he shares with ex-wife Gene Strahan. He became an empty nester at the end of the summer when his twins went off to college.
© Instagram/Michael StrahanThe TV star is a firm favorite on Good Morning America, where he has been co-hosting alongside Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos since 2016.
He previously worked on ABC's Live, alongside Kelly Ripa, which was the first of his TV gigs after retiring from football. He worked on the daytime news show from 2012-2016.
© InstagramMichael is currently spending some time away from the spotlight due to personal matters, but hasn't disclosed any more.
An ABC spokesperson told The Los Angeles Times on Monday 6 November: "Michael Strahan will not be with us this week as he is dealing with some personal family matters. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and concerns."
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