Jeremy McConnell burst into tears when he met his baby son for the first time.
The 27-year-old heartthrob spent all of his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Davis’ pregnancy denying that he was the then-unborn tot’s father but, after a paternity test carried out four weeks after Caben-Albi’s birth revealed the little one did belong to him, he was overcome with emotion when they met face to face.
Speaking to OK! magazine, Stephanie explained: "He spent ages just looking at Caben and then he got very emotional and started welling up. I gave him a hug, but he was hiding his face from me so I wouldn’t see him crying."
And the 24-year-old beauty is convinced her ex-boyfriend, whom she split from in May last year following a series of blazing rows, now regrets missing out on so much of the pregnancy because he was so caught up in "self-destruct mode."
She explained to the publication: "Jeremy was in self-destruct mode for a long time and when you’re like that you don’t care about anyone else. I don’t think he understood at the time how much he was missing out on."
The pair – who met in the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house in January last year – have managed to patch up their differences for the sake of seven-week-old Caben but, despite speculation suggesting they’re back together, Stephanie is adamant they’re not focusing on a romance at the moment because they’re busy with their careers.
She said: "No we’re not back together. We’re just taking it day by day – I don’t know what the future holds.
"Our priority at the present time is to provide what’s best for Caben. We’ll always hold a special place in each other’s hearts as Caben’s parents, but for now we both have work commitments coming up that we need to concentrate on."