Lionel Richie performs at the O2 Arena Dublin. Dublin, Ireland - 13.03.09

The All Night Long star, 59, believed the birth of 14-month old Harlow, fathered by punk rocker Joel Madden, would signal his sex symbol status was over.

Yet Richie now admits he enjoys life as a grandfather, albeit at a distance.

He tells British tabloid the Daily Record, "I went through a panic - that's the end of my career. But I'm having more fun now with the responsibility of being a grandpa - that is, playing with the baby and handing her back."

Source: WENN