Dermot O’Leary’s cats keep watch over his baby son.
The BBC Radio 2 DJ and his wife Dee Koppang welcomed son Kasper into the world in June, and from the moment they brought the youngster back to their London home, their feline friends Toto and Socks have been by his side.
Speaking to the new issue of Red magazine, Dermot said: "When we brought the moses basket home, the cats refused to leave it. They were just staring at me like, ‘Yep, so this is mine now.’ "
Dermot and producer Dee met when they worked together 18 years ago and married in 2012 and though their relationship was platonic and professional at first, ‘The X Factor’ host knew there was "something" more between them.
He gushed: "We didn’t start seeing each other until after we’d finished working together. We spent out first dates seeing each other’s areas of London.
"I knew there was something there straight away. You get that thunderbolt at first, don’t you? And that has built even more over time."
The 47-year-old star believes "compromise" is the key to a lasting relationship and won’t give Dee a "hard time" even when she does things that annoy him.
Asked the key to his relationship, he said: "How long do you have? Compromise, space, and not giving this person who is meant to be your best mate a hard time – even when she genuinely can’t stack the dishwasher."
Amid the lockdown period due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dermot and his wife enjoyed the simple things in life and he’s got a new appreciation for what matters.
He said: "It’s walking in Regent’s Park and Hampstead and reconnecting with nature, and it’s a cup of coffee in the morning.
"I’ve learned that the world isn’t going to fall apart if you don’t get the eight things on your to-do list done. It’s important, sometimes, to just be."