James Bay becomes a dad

James Bay has become a father for the first time.

The ‘Hold Back the River’ hitmaker and his long-term girlfriend, Lucy Smith, welcomed their daughter Ada Violet into the world last week and couldn’t be happier with their “little miracle”.

The 31-year-old singer shared a photo of himself cradling his daughter and another of their hands together, and wrote on Instagram: “Family [heart emoji] After all these years together as two, we’re so excited to be three!

“Last week Lu gave birth to our first baby, Ada Violet Bay.

“We are so in love and filled with gratitude and joy for this little miracle in our lives. Thank you for all your well wishes xx ()”

James and Lucy have been together for more than 14 years now and he’s recently credited her for making him pursue a career in mu.

He previously said: “She’s the coolest person in the world. We were close friends before we were in a relationship.

“Back in the day, we would be sitting in on a Wednesday night watching TV, and she would say, ‘Hang on, if you want to be a big artist one day, surely you should be out in some pub or club playing some songs right now’.

“She instilled that in me, and I got out and did it. I wouldn’t be here without her.”

James has always been a “private person”, but he previously vowed to open up about his relationship like never before on his upcoming – as yet untitled – third studio album.

He added: “I’m a really private person. My home life is a very intimate thing for me but I’m ready to talk about her for the first time.

“These next singles and album are a bit of a tribute to the 13-year journey my girlfriend and I have been on.”