1. family and parenting
2. children

Diddy is a man who likes to
P
be in control – he’s a rapper,
record executive, restaurateur,
designer and actor. But by his own
admission, the latest chapter in
his eventful life has completely
overwhelmed him – the birth of
his “beautiful, healthy” twin
daughters, D’Lila Star and Jessie
James.
“To be honest, I can’t get over
it,” admits the 37-year-old, whose
real name is Sean Combs but who
has gone by the monikers Puff
Daddy, Puffy, P Diddy and just
Diddy in his career. “No matter
how many times I’m here looking
at them, holding them and kissing
them, I just can’t believe they’re
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Sean flew back to New York from
Toronto, where he was filming a TV
version of the play A Raisin in the
Sun, to be with Kim as she prepared
(above) to give birth in the renowned
Mount Sinai hospital on Fifth Avenue
in Manhattan. The Columbus,
Georgia-born actress and model
also has two sons and one stepson
AS THEY SHARE THEIR JOY AT THE BIRTH OF TWINS
SEAN ‘P DIDDY’ COMBS AND
PARTNER KIM PORTER WELCOME
LITTLE D’LILA AND JESSIE
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here. The whole blessing of life
and having kids is incredible and
you never get used to it.”
The music mogul made it to the
birth on 21 December “just in the
nick of time”. He was in Toronto
filming when he got a call telling
him that his partner, former
model Kim Porter, had gone into
labour at their home in New
Jersey. In true extravagant P
Diddy style, he had a private jet on
standby. He flew home, met Kim
at their house and they drove to
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York
City. Their daughters were born
just an hour later, and Sean cut
the umbilical cords.
“I wanted to be sure that
The rapper chartered a private jet
to make the trip from Canada to be
present at the birth, then had to don
surgical clothes and mask (right)
before an anxious wait (pictured
left) for the twins’ arrival – they
came just two minutes apart,
D’Lila first, and Dad was on hand
to cut the umbilical cords
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Well hello there: Sean meets the twins, moments after the birth, while a tired but happy Kim looks on. In the excitement the rapper and businessman turned
his hospital top inside out! The last month of pregnancy was hard on Kim, says Sean, as she has a small frame and “got a little big” as the twins grew
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everything was okay so I hired out the
whole hospital wing and eight security
guards,” says the multimillionaire
rapper.
The girls arrived just two minutes
apart – D’Lila weighed 5lb 4oz and
Jessie was 5lb. They will share a birthday
with their paternal grandmother, Janice
Combs, and were named “in honour of
two people to have incredibly impacted
me and Kim’s lives… our beloved
grandmothers”, says the proud dad.
“Looking at the twins, and seeing
how pretty they are, I just thank God
they came out looking like Kim,” jokes
Sean.
“Kim astonishes me. I call her superwoman,” he adds. “She was happy
throughout almost all of the pregnancy
and that’s what’s really great about it.
“We just found out that the girls are
identical – we had tests to confirm it.
That’s another miracle right there.”
Can he see the girls’ individual
‘Life is not about money — don’t
take anything for granted. That’s
the way I was brought up and the
way I want to bring up my kids’
personalities already? “Jessie smiles
and laughs a lot in her sleep, and
D’Lila is laid-back, but feisty at the
same time. It’s hard to tell them apart,
though. One has a little bit of thinner
hair on one side, but that’s the only
way you can really tell.”
D’Lila and Jessie are the first female
additions to the Porter-Combs clan –
they already have a ten-year-old son
Christian together, while Sean has a
son, 13-year-old Justin, with his exgirlfriend, stylist Misa Hylton-Brim.
Kim is also mother to 15-year-old
Quincy from her relationship with
singer Al B Sure – Sean regards
Quincy as his own.
“I was extremely excited when all
my kids were born,” says Sean. “People
told me that it would feel different
being a father to girls, and they were
right.
“With boys, you kind of feel that
they’re a little bit tougher. I’m protective towards all my kids, but more so
with the girls. They’re always on your
mind and you don’t want to put them
down. It’s more of an affectionate
situation.”
Does he think he’ll be stricter with
his daughters than his sons? “I don’t
think that’s the best way to be,” he says.
“I think that children who have been
sheltered and whose parents don’t trust
them probably have more rebellion.
“The best thing I can do is to really
parent them, to teach them right from
wrong. I want to talk to them and be like
their friend and help tell them what
mistakes not to make.
“I like to have a very close relationship with my children so they can
‘No matter how many times I’m here looking at them,
holding them and kissing them, I just can’t believe
they’re here. The whole blessing of life and having
kids is incredible and you never get used to it’
!
feel comfortable speaking to me about anything.”
Potential boyfriends of his daughters could be
quite daunted at the prospect of meeting Sean. “I
think people will be surprised at how I handle the
situation,” he laughs. “I’m not going to be standing
there with a shotgun. But I will, first and foremost,
protect them like I would my sons.”
The exclusive HELLO! photos show D’Lila and
Jessie lying contentedly next to each other – and
Sean feels it’s a “blessing” that his daughters
already have a strong bond. “Because they’ve got
parents who are in the spotlight, it’s a great thing
to know that they’ll have each other to lean on,” he
says. “And I’ve spoken to twins who tell me it’s the
greatest thing, because they have somebody who
truly loves them and is their best friend.”
The hip hop star is determined to be a hands-on
parent, having never really known his own father,
Melvin, who was shot dead in 1972, when Sean was
a toddler. His mother worked double shifts to help
him through private school and college, and his
grandmother, Jessie Smalls, looked after him.
Are there lessons from Sean’s own upbringing
that he would like to pass on to his children? “The
biggest and first lesson is a faith and a belief
in God. I’m not into pushing a religion on my
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‘I think that children who
have been sheltered and whose
parents don’t trust them probably
have more rebellion’
Janice and his sister Keisha to the
Mount Vernon district and he
attended the private Roman Catholic
Mount Saint Michael Academy in
the Bronx. He moved on to the
prestigious Howard University in
Washington, and while there the
ambitious youngster persuaded
childhood friend Heavy D to sign him
as an intern at the label for which he
recorded, Uptown Records. Several
months later, Sean had quit university
and was an A&R executive.
After friction with Uptown
Records, Sean – by now known as
Puff Daddy – left and formed Bad
Boy Records in 1994, which soon
attracted artists including Mary J
Blige and Usher, while he went
on to produce songs for stars such
as Mariah Carey and Aretha
Franklin.
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kids, just a belief in God and an
understanding of right and wrong.
Then also, an appreciation and a
respect for the world and for life. I’d
like them to understand that you get
out of life what you put into it.
“My upbringing was that you have
to work hard for everything. I don’t
want them to have to work as hard as
me, but I want them to understand
the way life is and to enjoy it and love
each other.”
Sean, who was born in the thennotorious Harlem district of New
York, believes his tough upbringing
made him the person he is today. “I
grew up in a family of working
people,” he has said. “I know what
it’s like to struggle day after day in a
job to put food on the table.”
His mother regarded education as
a priority. Aged 12, he moved with
Back in their home in Alpine, New Jersey, just over the Hudson River
from New York City, the proud parents relax with the twins, with D’Lila
on the left. They were named after Sean and Kim’s beloved
grandmothers – Kim’s is called Lila Star and Sean’s was Jessie Smalls
10
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Whether in the kitchen or at work in
his study, Sean is determined to
stay close to the babies. “I like to
have a very close relationship with
my children,” he says. He has a tenyear-old son, Christian, with Kim,
and another son, Justin, 13, with
ex-girlfriend Misa Hylton-Brim
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Puff Daddy branched into
performing – his song I’ll Be
Missing You, which sampled the
Police song Every Breath You Take,
was a huge hit. A tribute to his late
friend, the rapper Notorious
B.I.G, who was killed in 1997, the
song reflected some of the tough
times Sean has gone through. “I
know I’ve been through some bad
times and my share of tragedies,”
he has said. “But it just made me
feel like I got to be a better person
to deserve this blessing.” The
blessing included his debut solo
album, No Way Out, becoming a
Grammy-winning hit.
Sean seems to have the Midas
touch in business – his latest
album, Press Play, went straight to
No.1 in the US; his fragrance
Unforgiveable became a bestseller; the Council of Fashion
Designers of America named him
‘The best thing I can do is to really parent them, to teach them
right from wrong. I want to talk to them and be their friend
and help tell them what mistakes not to make’
“Pass the Courvoisier,” the Harlemborn rapper once famously sang in
a hymn to the good life enjoyed by
hip hop artists who rise from
humble beginnings to enjoy the
trappings of stardom. Nowadays it
looks like it’s more a case of “pass
the milk” for the urban music mogul
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menswear designer of the year in
2004 for his Sean John line (John
is his middle name); and last year,
his net worth was estimated at
$326million.
It’s clear that his own children
will grow up surrounded by
privilege and opportunities, but is
Sean careful not to spoil them?
“Definitely. You do want to
spoil your kids – you want to
make sure they get the benefits
from your hard work. But they
have to understand how fortunate they are.
“I think we’ve done a great job
with our kids so far. It’s about the
way you bring them up and explain things to them – it’s also
about saying, ‘No, life doesn’t
really work that way – people just
can’t have whatever they want.’”
When Sean became successful, he vowed to give
Pretty in pink: the girls’ bedroom is all ready for them, designed by Shalena Smith at Los Angeles-based
Ga Ga Designs. There are also spare cots, a present from Sean’s friend and fellow rapper, LL Cool J – an
$88,000 Mercedes was also on the list for the twins’ baby shower, according to some reports. Sean poses
(right) with the twins in front of a specially commissioned mural of a little girl fairy in a flower meadow
‘My upbringing was
that you have to
work hard for
everything. I don’t
want them to have to
work as hard, but to
understand the way
life is and enjoy it
and love each other’
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!
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Family life: Sean and Kim share feeding duties (top left) while Dad loves to play with the girls (left). “People told me it would feel different being a
father to girls, and they were right,” says Sean. “I’m protective towards all my kids, but more so with the girls.” The twins are identical, though
D’Lila was 4oz heavier than her sister when they were born. “It’s a great thing to know they’ll have each other to lean on,” says their proud father
‘The older kids have been so excited about
the twins. They love their little sisters’
“It’s not about the money you give,
it’s the time you spend with them – it’s
priceless. I wish I could spend more
time with them,” he admits. “I do have
a busy work schedule and it’s a balancing act – I have to say no to things so
I can spend time with my family.”
Sean coaches his son Justin’s football
team and says he is “definitely a dad
who goes to the parent-teacher
meetings”.
Whenever possible, the children
join him on his tours and work projects
around the world. “It’s always been like
that,” he says. “But when I tour Europe
in March, the girls will be a little too
young to travel overseas.”
His older children, he says, “have
been so excited about the twins”. “They
already love each other as brothers –
they kiss and say they love each other all
the time.”
Could he see his children following
in his footsteps? “Our youngest son,
Christian, wants to be a performer –
he’s already been bitten by the bug.
He’s started writing rap songs and
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something back to his community. In
1995, he created a series of educational
initiatives for inner-city youth called
Daddy’s House Social Programs. He ran
the New York City marathon in 2003,
raising $2million for children's
charities, and he’s also donated more
than 100 computers to 500 New York
City schools.
“Life is not about money – don’t take
anything for granted,” says Sean.
“That’s the way I was brought up and
the way I want to bring up my kids. And
I give thanks to God for everything –
through him anything is possible.
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Gimme five: the twins, smiley Jessie (on the left) and feisty D’Lila, have the gestures right already.
Looks like they’ll never lack for shoes, either, if the cabinet, left, is anything to go by. “You do
want to spoil your kids,” says Sean, “but they have to understand how fortunate they are”
‘Jessie smiles and laughs a lot in her sleep, and
D’Lila is laid-back, but feisty at the same time.
It’s hard to tell them apart, though’
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going to different dance classes. We encourage
him and help teach him. He’s also a straight-A
student right now.”
Life in the Combs household is certainly not
quiet, but Sean says that Kim is coping with the
pressures of motherhood. “She’s doing great,”
he says. “And she’s almost all the way back to
her regular size – she’s certainly been blessed
with that.”
The couple first started dating in the mid 1990s
but split in 1999. He went on to have a high-profile
relationship with Jennifer Lopez, but he and Kim
reconciled in 2003, with Sean saying that he had
always loved her.
The larger-than-life rapper, who is known for
his love of parties, has said he “would love to get
married” but “isn’t ready just yet”. “A lot of guys out
there get married, and they still do their own thing.
I don’t want to get married and fail.”
He has, however, discovered what a good
relationship means. “If you love somebody you
don’t force it. You don’t love them because of what
you can get out of them. Now I really want to
H
try to get it right.”
INTERVIEW: DAWN EMERY
PHOTOS: JUSTIN JAY/GETTY IMAGES
KIM’S HAIR: GAIL HUDSON
SEAN’S HAIR: CURTIS SMITH
MAKE-UP: MERRELL HOLLIS/KEN BARBOZA ASSOC