Being with my two girls is single best thing about today. And I’m not joking
Comedian’s pride at being a good dad
Becoming a dad, without a shadow of a doubt, saved my life. I had just turned 17 when Ainsley was born. I was in a bad, badd place. I had only left the children’s home the yearr before. I was drinking a lot and had got in with a bad crowd – but when my daughter came along I fell in love with her and everything changed. I raised Ainsley with her mum up until she was 155 months old, then she livedd withith her grandparents during the week and with me at the weekends. When she was 14, she came to live with me and we have been together ever since – it’s been her and me against the world and now we have Gracie, who is adorable and is the light of both our lives. I will never admit to being a good comedian but I will stand up and say I am properly proud of being a good dad and grandad. Ainsley and Gracie saved my life and they are my greatest achievements. Theyboth give me the unconditional love I didn’t get from my father when I was growing up. They make me feel needed, wanted and appreciated, and I can’t ask for anything more. I have a great relationship with my mum but I never
For comedian Gary Meikle, today has always been a special celebration.
The stand-up and social media sensation had just turned 17 when daughter Ainsley was born, and for the past 11 years he has been raising her single-handedly.
Three years ago, he became a grandad and has been helping to bring up his granddaughter Gracie ever since.
The comic, who gets his material from his experiences of being a lone parent and grandparent, is one of Scotland’s 13,000 single dads celebrating Father’s Day.
Gary, 43, who shot to fame after his YouTube rant about his daughter’s eyebrows racked up more than 100million views,, told how being a single dadad is his greatest achievement. nt. met my dadd until I was 10. He came in and out of my life until I was 21,21 when he disowned me and I decided I didn’t want anythianything more to do with him. I have always strived to be the good father he wasn’t. AinAinsley and I are extremely closeclose. She is my daughter, my bestb friend and my musmuse – 70 per cent of the thinthings I talk about on stage are about my interactions witwith her and Gracie.
II’m not that funny in reareal life but Ainsley is.
She will say something and I’m like,like ‘Right, can I use that on stage?’ I always ask her permission and she has OKed everything from periods to her sex life. She loves being the focus of my act, that’s why she was over the moon when my rant about her eyebrow obsession went viral. Raising a teenage girl as a single dad does have its challenges. I’ve had to be her mum and dad all rolled into one and that has made me quite liberal. I’m glad she feels she can talk to me about anything and can trust me but there are some conversations I can’t wait to get to the end of.
I’ve got to be a dad all over again with Gracie. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted more kids but Gracie filled that void perfectly. I am the main male role model in her life.
Some dads might have struggled spending so much time with their kids during lockdown but as a single parent and grandparent I’m used to it and I love every minute.
My success as a comedian is all down to the relationship I have with my daughter and granddaughter. My new UK tour Surreal, which starts in January, is based on my life as a live-in dad and grandfather.
Father’s Day has always been a special day in our house. Ainsley definitely makes a big deal of it. She gets me a warm-up present, so she has already bought me a bottle of gin and a bag of raisins. Her gifts are always thoughtful and well thought out but her cards put the fear of God in me.
When she was 19, she got me a card with the message inside: “Happy Father’s Day Dad – PS I’ve got chlamydia.” She was joking but she kept me waiting for half an hour before she told me.
Every time I get a card from her now I panic. I’m like: “Is this a straight up and down card or does it have some message inside?”
I don’t care if I never got another card or present, I got the best gift ever 25 years ago – the chance to be a dad. And now I’m loving being one of the youngest grandads in Scotland.
It’s a double celebration.