16-05-2025
Sunrise star Sam Mac captures nine-month-old daughter Mabel's first word...after taking her to a star-studded boys lunch
Sam Mac was very much in doting dad mode on Friday, spending some precious time with nine-month-old daughter Mabel.
The Sunrise weather presenter and fiancée Rebecca James welcomed Mabel, their second child, in August last year.
Sam, 42, shared a series of images and clips to Instagram on Friday, documenting the day out, which culminated in Sam capturing Mabel's first word.
A video showed Sam, sitting in the passenger seat of a car while Rebecca was behind the wheel and Baby Mabel safely tucked away in her car seat.
'Could you please say "dadda', Sam asked his daughter as the camera rolled.
Much to his and Rebecca's surprise, Mabel could be heard uttering what appeared to be 'dadda" back to her parents.
Captioning the sweet clip, Sam explained that Mabel had been uttering the word for a while, but he was, until now, unable to get definitive proof.
'Mabel only just turned 9 months & I'm convinced she's saying "dadda". It's now happening on command and I managed to get it on video from the back seat today.'
The adorable moment came after Sam took Mabel out for lunch with some very famous friends.
He shared another clip that showed him walking into Sydney eatery China Doll with Mabel strapped snugly to his chest.
'When you're invited to a boy's lunch but you're on dad leave,' he captioned the clip.
The clip then cut to Sam sitting at the table dutifully preparing a bottle for his daughter.
The dad and daughter duo were in very good company for the lunch, with the likes of Gold Logie winner Larry Emdur and Sam's Sunrise co-star Mark Baretta at the table.
They were also joined by My Kitchen Rules stars Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge, Better Homes And Gardens presenter Charlie Albone, celebrity fitness coach 'Chief' James Brabon, and Bachelor star Tim Robards.
'Could you please say "dadda', Sam asked his daughter as the camera rolled. Much to his and Rebecca's surprise, Mabel could be heard uttering what appeared to be 'dadda" back to her parents.
They looked chuffed to be in each other's company, with another photo showing the pals beaming broadly as they posed for a group photo.
'9 Men and a baby,' Sam captioned the image, taking time to make a pointed dig at Larry, who had his eyes closed in the pic.
'@larryemdur obviously hasn't had enough media training &foolishly blinked during the photo,' he added.
They quickly rectified the situation, taking another pic together, this time with Larry's eyes wide open.
Sam's dad and daughter day comes after he recently revealed he was taking time away from television to focus on his family.
Posting a picture with Mabel recently, Sam expressed how excited he was to spend some quality time with his young children.
'This guy is officially on "Dad Leave"' Sam captioned the post.
'So ridiculously excited to have some uninterrupted time with our darling Mabel. I did the same when Margot was a baby and have vivid memories of being there as she took her first steps.
'Now to have more time with her as a toddler is an added bonus (albeit a slightly terrifying one)' he added.
The Sunrise star went on to say that he loves his job but it can definitely take its 'toll', especially when missing milestone moments with his children.
'Since becoming a Dad, saying goodbye to my girls every week gets harder and harder. So this is actually win / win / win!' he revealed.
'Bec is free to jump back into work full time and get a few well deserved breathers,' he said, adding: 'Sunrise viewers get to wake up to the wonderful Katie Brown and Mabel gets 24-7 entertainment from Daddy Mac, aka "The Temu Wiggle."'
He finished off the post: 'I'm eternally grateful to our team at 7 being so supportive of new Dads and in turn, new Mums. It means the world and I'll see you all back on Sunrise soon.'
Sam and Rebecca welcomed first daughter Margot in September 2022, two years after they started dating.
Announcing the joyous news at the time, Sam wrote: 'This is a love I never even knew existed. I'm overwhelmed and still processing it all right now. My girls. Wow.'
It's not the first time Sam has taken time off to raise his kids.
