Exclusive: Inside Danny Dyer's life as a hands-on dad to Love Island star Dani

Danny Dyer has opened up about his eldest daughter, Dani Dyer, who won the popular ITV2 show, Love Island, back in 2018 with her partner, Jack Fincham. In a previous photoshoot with HELLO!, the EastEnders actor spoke about being a dad to three children, Dani, Sunnie and Arty, and how he was still a "baby" when he and Jo welcomed their eldest daughter at just 18 years old. Danny, who was a teenager when he became a father for the first time, explained: "I was a baby when I had Dani – I couldn't even shave. So me and my eldest daughter have grown up together. We are very close and she can tell me anything."

Danny opened up about his eldest daughter

The proud dad, who chatted to Dani and her new boyfriend, Jack, via video chat in the Love Island villa, continued: "We have a son in every aspect of the word – he is a climber, a smasher, he loves his grubs and loves a tantrum, but I am so proud of him and all of them. I am dealing with all stages of parenthood at once. I have Dani challenging me on an adult level, Sunnie dealing with middle-child syndrome and a two-year-old running around wanting to whack his head on walls and smash the television. Me and Jo are hands on in the true sense of the word. We don't palm them off on nannies – we are not believers in all that."

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WATCH: Danny Dyer spills the details of his wedding to HELLO!

According to the 41-year-old, his own dad couldn't be more different to him. "My dad was from a different generation," he said. "Mums did everything and dads went to work and came home drunk. That was the way it was. I am more like my character in that respect. I want to give my children everything that I didn't have." During the interview, Dani also spoke about their parents finally tying the knot back in 2016, saying: "I think it is about time. But because they have been together for so long it is like they are married in any case. There is nothing left to prove. I am really happy they are getting married."

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Dani was a contestant in Love Island

Things weren't always smooth sailing with his three children, as Arty was born one month early via emergency C-section, and just days before the actor began his life-changing role on EastEnders as the Queen Vic's new landlord, Mick Carter. Speaking about the difficult time, Danny explained: "There was a moment where it seemed a real possibility that something could go very wrong. I had started in EastEnders just three days before. I knew this job had saved us because, financially, we were not in a good place. I went in and hit the ground running but inside I was dying. All I could think of was my little boy lying in his little incubator."