AceShowbiz - Barry Manilow has become a grandfather for the first time. The veteran musician has revealed his husband Garry Kief's daughter Kirsten has adopted a little girl and he's really enjoying his new role as a grandad after previously thinking he would never have an expanded family.

Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, Barry explained, "Garry's daughter Kirsten adopted a little girl, and so I'm now a grandfather. I've never, ever thought about having a baby or having anything to do with [being] a father or any of that. I'm watching this little girl - she's two and a half - grow up and learn. This is a brand-new experience for me, and I really am enjoying it."

The stage star went on to credit Garry, who he met in 1978 and married in secret in 2014 before publicly coming out as gay, with totally changing his life because he was an "a** hole" before they met. He said: "I was not prepared [for fame]. I was rude to people. I was an a** hole. One of the big events that pulled me together was meeting Garry. Having somebody like that grounds you."

"Suddenly I wasn't all alone in this crazy world. When you have a partner who you can go and cry to or yell at or celebrate with, that makes everything different. It makes the failures easier to take. Nobody could have gotten worse reviews than I have over the years. To have somebody with you makes it easier," he continued.

Barry didn't come out as gay until 2017 and previously told the publication he was worried about disappointing his fans. "I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay," he said. "So, I never did anything. When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was so beautiful - strangers commenting, 'Great for you!' I'm just so grateful for it."