British singer Lee Ryan has opened up about the "difficult" relationship he has with his love child, admitting he'd rather spend time with his own family than bond with his estranged daughter.
The Blue star has a young son, Rayn, with on/off girlfriend Samantha Miller, but he was shocked to find out in 2009 that he also has a daughter, Belle, from his relationship with ex Jessica Keevil.
A paternity test proved Ryan was the father of Belle and he immediately arranged child support payments to help Keevil take care of the child.
But the singer is angry at suggestions he's a bad father because he rarely visits the girl, insisting he has more responsibilities to Rayn whenever he has time off work.
He tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "I don't see her (Belle) as much because I've got my own son. People can say what they want about me and I don't give a s**t... But when it comes to my children and I'm being called a bad father... really, it wasn't my choice to have the girl, not that I'm shunting any responsibility.
"She (Keevil) came forward after a year and a half and went, 'Alright, there's your child, now you do this.' I've got my own family. And the work schedule at the moment is absolutely massive. If I have a day off, out of everything, I'll probably see my son, if the truth be honest."
And Ryan claims he shouldn't be expected to welcome Belle with open arms, because Keevil should have been open with him as soon as she discovered she was pregnant with his child.
He adds, "I haven't quite had the chance to bond with Belle yet, and I'm not gonna take responsibility for that yet. I've paid for her, and I have seen her. For her (Keevil) to expect me to suddenly kick into being a dad, suddenly pick her up and say: 'Oh alright,' and have some bond with her (Belle) from 18 months old to two years - it's quite difficult.
"I haven't done anything wrong and I'm not a bad bloke (guy). I'll do what I've got to do in my own career and my own life. For my own happiness. I'm not gonna be... told what to do."