AceShowbiz - Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs vowed to prioritise his family over everything else after the unexpected death of his model ex Kim Porter.

The 47-year-old, who was the mother to three of the rap mogul's six kids, passed away in November (18) after suffering complications related to pneumonia.

Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, has been mourning her loss ever since, but he admits the tragedy forced him to step up as a father and made him realise the need to be more present for his children.

"Before this, I was a part-time father, you know?" he tells Essence magazine. "My family was always first, but there are countless times when I chose work over everything else."

"But every day I can hear her (Porter) telling me to go and spend some time with the kids and make sure everybody's all right, like she would do. I'm just a lot more present, and, most important (sic), now my kids come before anything else in my life."

The "I'll Be Missing You" hitmaker, 49, recalls one of their last conversations, revealing she had sent their 12-year-old girls Jessie and D'Lila, and 21-year-old son Christian over to their dad's place just three days before her death to avoid getting them ill as she had been sick with a bout of influenza.

Diddy stopped by one night to check on her, but it seems Porter knew her health was going downhill, fast: "She was like, 'Puffy, take care of my babies.' She actually said that to me before she died," he remembers.

"Every time Kim and I talked, it was about the kids," he adds. "It was what she cared about the most."

The interview appears in the 49th anniversary issue of Essence, which also features a cover shoot with Diddy and all of his offspring.

He shared an alternative cover of the magazine, in which he poses with his daughters Jessie, D'Lila, and 13-year-old Chance, on Instagram and captioned the post, "One Love. New Cover Alert. @Essence #FamilyFirst #BlackExcellence #CombsCartel".

Diddy and Kim dated for 13 years on and off from 1994 to 2007, and remained close until her death.