Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Dani Dyer ..Daddy’s favourite
LOVE ISLAND FINALE: TV DANNY SO PROUD OF HIS GIRL
TELLY hardman Danny Dyer has told of his relief that daughter Dani hasn’t had sex on Love Island – and reckons that could help her romp home as the winner.
The EastEnders actor today heaps praise on 22-year-old Dani and says she has learned from the mistakes HE has made down the years.
Dani and Jack Fincham, 26, are tipped to win the ITV2 dating show tomorrow after charming viewers with their loved-up relationship.
And Danny, 41, is delighted at the way his girl, a former barmaid and aspiring actress, has conducted herself.
He says: “She has spun it on its head and she has not **** ed about under the quilts once.
“She is a role model for young kids. She doesn’t need to do that.”
Danny – Mick Carter in EastEnders – opens his heart in an interview in which he also:
Contemplates the possibility of Dani and Jack marrying – but says “let’s meet the geezer first”.
Accepts the blame for past problems in his marriage but insists he and wife Joanne Mas, also 41, will be together “forever”.
Admits being “an idiot” at times but insists life for the Dyers is “f ****** good” right now.
The actor says Dani is “just like her mum Jo” and believes she has benefited from witnessing at first hand the pressures of celebrity.
INTOXICATING
He explains: “Dani knows what fame is like. She’s gone through it with me from a very young age. The ups-and-downs of being famous. It can be rewarding and it can be intoxicating but it can also be very dark and very lonely.
“She has seen me go through it. Me and Jo had her when we were 18 so she has been there through some really difficult times.
“I had no money, still living in a council estate, that sort of stuff. Me and Jo split, then I came back into her life. She hasn’t had it easy.
“Dani is going to get mobbed when she gets out of there. It’s going to be trying for her. But she has learnt from us and our mistakes. I do try to sit her down and reason with her and say the kinder option is always the option you should take.
“Always be kind at all costs if you can. It’s great to see that she has taken it on. She has always been there for me. “We have a very, very close bond.
“She has always stood by me even when I have been a f ****** idiot and vice-versa. We talk a lot and she can tell when I’m down or when something is on my mind. I can’t really hide it from her. I have to just let it out. There is no grey area with us lot.
“If I’m in the wrong she would f ****** tell me and the same with her mum.”
On the show, Dani and Jack, 26, coupled up early in the series and share a bed.
But what started as all part of the TV game has turned serious – and the pair have agreed to move in with each other when the show ends. Jack, a stationery salesman from Orpington, Kent, has admitted to cheating on former partners.
But Danny insists his daughter will never cheat – because she has been hurt before.
He says: “Not in a million years. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She has learnt the hard way with that. She hasn’t really had many relationships.
“When she falls for someone she commits completely. Whether that is reciprocated is another matter.
“She could probably be the best wife anyone could ever want. If she finds the right boy... she’s got to find the right boy. It would be lovely if her and Jack would walk down the aisle but who knows, let’s meet the f ****** geezer first. Dani is so sweet and lovely, honest and funny.
“She’s got so many sweet qualities. Obviously she does fly off the handle about a few things.
She does stress out about stuff. Who doesn’t?”
Talking about his own past indiscretions, Danny says: “Young men, and I was guilty of it myself, you don’t quite know about
loyalty and commitment and you just sort of go with whatever your head is telling you and it’s not the best decision to make. But you’ve got to learn that from a young age.
“Me and Jo are going to be together for ever. Abso-f ****** -lutely. Completely. We will probably renew our wedding vows. I want to see my Dani tie the knot first, whenever that will be.
“We’ve gone through a lot me and Jo. I take full responsibility for most of our ups-anddowns. Most of the downs, really.
“We’ve been together since we were 14 so we have spent our whole life together.
“We were parents at 18, we were still babies ourselves but then we were trying to parent from 18 onwards with Dani. So we have gone through a lot together.
“It’s a very rare thing what we’ve got and it should be cherished. But I tell you what, with all our faults we definitely got it right with Dani. I’ve had some dark times in my life but life is f ****** good at the moment.
“In the Dyer household life is f ****** good.” Danny is currently on holiday at Disney World, Florida, with Jo and their younger children Sunnie, 11, and Arty, five.
That means Danny and Jo will miss tonight’s special where parents visit the Love Island villa on Majorca. But they will be shown via Skype.
Danny, meanwhile, provides the voiceover for MTV dating show True Love Or True Lies, starting next week.
And while he admits having doubts about Dani going on Love Island he now says: “I got it wrong. She was so right. What she’s done is incredible. She is real, like her dad. We can’t wait to tell her how great she is.”