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1 Feb 2026 9:13
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Mario has become a father for the first time

    The Let Me Love You hitmaker - whose full name is Mario Dewar Barrett - revealed on Monday (26.01.26) that his girlfriend Esmeralda Rios had given birth to a "healthy baby boy".


    Sharing a photo of himself in scrubs, in which he called himself 'Doctor Barrett', Mario revealed his happy news on his Instagram Story.

    He wrote in the caption: "Women are God's greatest creation cuz what I witness today was ONLY GODS work! Healthy baby boy!(sic)"

    Mario didn't share any further information about his new son, such as his name or weight at birth.

    The 39-year-old star revealed he and Esmeralda were expecting a baby late last August.

    In an Instagram Story post, the singer could be seen with his hand on his girlfriend's bare baby bump, and he wrote: ""It's a whole universe in there! [teary-eyed emoji] I can't wait (sic)".

    The Closer to Mars singer previously stressed he didn't take the idea of having a family "lightly" and didn't want to rush into having children until he knew the time was right.

    Speaking to V-103 Atlanta back in 2023, he said: "I don't take having kids lightly.

    "Everybody I know [has] kids. Some of my friends [that are] younger have kids, some of my friends [that are] older have kids, and it comes with a lot of pros and cons. And I also grew up without a father. So, I want to do it right when I do do it. You know, I got time. So, I'm not rushing into that."

    Mario and Esmeralda went Instagram official last year but it isn't clear how long they have been dating.

    However, speaking to Angela Yee last year, the singer hailed his partner a "safe place".

    He added: "She's a good person. I trust her."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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