Kevin Kilbane described the harrowing five-minute wait he endured as his new baby daughter struggled to breathe or cry moments after she was born.
The Dancing on Ice star - a football favourite at Everton and Sunderland - welcomed Keavy Anne with the show's professional skater Brianne Delcourt in April.
But it was a traumatic arrival after the mum had haemorrhaged during her third pregnancy.
Brianne, who is also a parent to five-year-old Gracie and 15-month-old Olivia, was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and it lead to complications.
The family sat down with OK! Magazine at their home in Canada and former Ireland star Kevin revealed the torment no new mum and dad should have to go through.
The 45-year-old dad said: “It was just awful to see, when you look at a helpless baby lying on the table with an oxygen mask and a tube down her throat to try to clear her throat and her chest.
“There were a couple of complications that could have been a lot worse. I was very emotional because I was beside Bri the whole time throughout the surgery and you know what she’s going through."
Brianne and Kevin – who met when they were partnered together for the 2020 series of the ITV show - says everything went really smoothly until just before the surgery.
She told OK! : "All of a sudden I started to get really sweaty and started to see stars and I looked at the doctor and said, ‘I’m going to pass out here. I’m going to go.’
"I had a really bad feeling. My obstetrician kept saying, ‘It’s fine, she just doesn’t want to come out!’
“And then after an hour and 20 minutes, the doctor was like, ‘You’re going to feel a lot of pressure because we’ve got to get her out now.’ And then there was this pop.
"This is quite gruesome but blood had spattered right in our faces and she came out but then we didn’t hear a thing. I’m panicking at this stage and saying to Kevin, ‘OK, talk to me. What’s going on?’”
Keavy's big sisters Gracie and Olivia are clearly besotted with their new sibling, whose name was inspired by Kevin's Irish roots.
The couple had such a whirlwind romance, marrying just a year after they met, but are now living "in chaos" with three small children and their dog, Cash.
For the full interview, don't miss June edition of OK! Magazine
