Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine are just days away from welcoming their first child together, a little baby girl, and the Today Show host has opened up about becoming a father for the fourth time, revealing he “can’t wait” to be a dad again.
The 45-year-old is already a father to three children from his previous marriage to Cassandra Thorburn – the former couple share custody of Jackson, 20, Ava, 14 and River, 12.
But now Karl and his second wife Jasmine, who first met on a boat in Sydney in 2016, are about to create a family of their own with their newest addition.
Karl says despite the fact that when he met Jasmine, he had undergone a vasectomy, a procedure he later had reversed, having a child together was always a goal for the couple.
“We discussed it very early on in our relationship and I was very excited about the prospect of having a baby,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“I can’t wait,” he said.
The popular Channel Nine personality says his new daughter will be an expression of the love he has for his wife.
“We [he and Jasmine] do have a very loving relationship and to have a baby as an expression of that love is incredible. It’s never an easy thing and I think that kids are a miracle and we just can’t wait to meet this little girl. Just to shower her with all the love that we have.”
The couple are busy preparing the nursery in Karl’s multi-million dollar home in Sydney’s north shore.
“I’ve had a fair few boxes arrive at the door and I’ve had to get the allen keys out,” he revealed.
“I’ve helped build the cot, they’ve got this breast-feeding chair thing that I’ve put together. This is not easy stuff for a guy like me. But we are all ready to roll now.”
Karl and Jasmine are set to welcome their first child together next month.
(Image: Instagram)Despite more than a decade passing between the birth of his third and fourth children, Karl says his older kids are thrilled to welcome their new half-sister into the family, even offering up some baby name ideas.
He says that he and Jasmine had not yet settled on a name.
As for how fatherhood will be this time around, Karl admits things are going to look a little different, as he’s gotten older and says he will take things at a slower pace.
“I’m not in such a hurry to go somewhere else and I’m not chasing the yarns overseas like I was when I was building up to this point in my career,” he explains.
“And I don’t think that’s any great sleight on me as a father – it’s just the way things were. As a family we were working towards other things but you are busy in your 20s and 30s. You’re providing for your family every step of the way.
“You’re pretty busy making your way and you don’t stop to smell the roses sometimes but that’s the way it is.”
Karl adds: “I like to think I’ve been a pretty good dad along the way.
“I think every dad would have a level of insecurity about how good they’ve been, but at the end of the day my kids are loved.”
The couple have been together for about four years.
(Image: Instagram)Karl also admitted he’s been eating more during Jasmine’s pregnancy, and has previously been honest about his recent weight gain.
The TV host blamed being slower in his older age but said he was committed to making fitness and health a priority for the new baby’s sake.
“I don’t want to be one of those dads sitting in the corner unable to run around with my child so that’s important for me to try and get fit again and get ready for all that. And it will help mentally as well,” he said.
READ NEXT: The story behind Karl and Jasmine’s first meeting
Their relationship has been the subject of intense media scrutiny, following Karl’s divorce from Cassandra Thorburn.
(Image: Instagram)Karl’s latest comments come after he defended his relationship with Jasmine on the weekend, setting the record straight on rumours he cheated on his wife Cass.
“She’s (Jasmine’s) been through so much. She’s been pilloried and accused of things that didn’t happen,” Karl told Stellar magazine.
“It’s not her fault she fell in love with bugalugs, and the accusations were wrong about her stealing me from Cassandra.
“It’s rubbish and it’s hurtful.”
WATCH BELOW: Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough’s journey to love. Story continues after video.
The backlash was so intense that at one point, Karl asked his Jasmine if she still wanted to go ahead with the relationship.
“There were times when I asked, ‘Do you really want to do this?'” he said.
“I don’t think I would be with me. On a good day, I can be charming, but that’s about it.
“My best-looking days are behind me, I could be fitter. Why is someone that beautiful with me?
“Not that I’m complaining.”
Jasmine is due to give birth in early May.
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