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04th Jun 2023

RTÉ’s Tony Connelly says becoming a dad again in his 50s is ‘tough’

Ellen Fitzpatrick

RTÉ correspondent Tony Connelly has admitted that becoming a dad again in his 50s has been a bigger challenge than he expected.

Reporting on international affairs like Brexit and the Ukraine war, Tony’s life has been anything but normal over the last few years and when it comes to his family, the same goes.

The 58-year-old is dad to three boys, his eldest being Matteo who is 16 and from a previous relationship and he also shares Jack, six, and Felix, three, with his wife Rikke Albrechtsen.

With both Jack and Felix were born when Tony was in his 50s, he explained that becoming a dad again at this age changed the way he viewed the world.

Tony told the Irish Independent: “I was first a dad in my 40s, but then I had two new arrivals — so yeah, it’s challenging, it’s tough.

“You’re a lot more set in your ways.

“It forces you to keep that sense of wonder alive. And maybe, for men in their 50s, they find that particular resource is starting to run out — so that’s been a blessing.”

Now with a second chance at fatherhood and getting a new lease of life due to this, Tony admitted that his two youngest sons have taught him to be more “patient and tolerant”.

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