Irish vlogger beats celebs to be named Dad of the Year
Parenting vlogger Jonathan Saccone Joly has been named Celebrity Dad of the Year 2019 in London.
The father of four won the award, which was voted for by the public, despite being up against royalty and celebrity dads, including Declan Donnelly, Tom Daley and Britain's Prince William.
Award organisers Clas Ohlson said the popular YouTuber "won by a landslide".
Jonathan, who is the proud dad of Emilia, Eduardo, Alessia and Andrea (as well as six Maltese dogs), said winning came as a surprise to him.
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"I’m an award winning dad! This was such a surprise!! Thanks to everyone who nominated and voted for me," he wrote on Instagram.
His wife and fellow vlogger Anna said she was "so proud to be the wife of Celebrity Dad of the Year".
Youtuber and author Melanie Murphy also offered her congratulations to Jonathan.
"When you are with the kids you remind me of how my dad was with us and he’s my best friend in the whole world even now," she said. "You’re doing an amazing job, both of you are."
It's not the first parenting award Jonathan has received, however. In 2016 he and Anna were named 'Best in Parenting' at the Shorty Awards in New York.
The then Cork-based couple started broadcasting their daily lives on YouTube in 2009. They gained much attention in 2012 when they shared a video on YouTube of the birth of their first child, Emilia.
The video went viral and it has had more than 5.2 million views.
Today, the pair have almost two million subscribers on the video platform as well as over two million followers on social media.
The family moved to England in 2014 and it is estimated that the successful vlogging couple earn a six-figure sum from YouTube advertising.
