Ryan Thomas took to Instagram to send a sweet message to his ex, Tina O’Brien, as the former couple celebrate their daughter’s ninth birthday.
It marks the first time Ryan’s had to be apart from his daughter, Scarlett, as he’s currently in Australia preparing to appear in Australian soap, Neighbours.
The former Coronation Street star, who dated Scarlett’s mother Tina for six years, from 2003, has said that it’s been difficult to be so far from his daughter.
Read more: Fans rush to support Ryan Thomas after he shares emotional Instagram post
The actor posted a shot of him and Scarlett together to wish her a happy birthday.
The image was captioned, “Happy 9th birthday Scarlett, our first ever birthday apart makes this so much harder being the other side of the world. Love you my angel. 😘🎂🎉”
He then posted a photo from Scarlett’s Halloween birthday party, thanking her mother for making sure the party was as good as possible.
“Scarlett’s holloween birthday party thanks @tinaob83 for making our daughters birthday so special ❤️ miss my baby so much.”
Tina posted her own Instagram tribute to her daughter, with a throwback photo of the two of them shortly after Scarlett’s birth.
“Where does the time go?” she posted with the photo. “My darling girl. You were born at 8.31am after I woke up in labour at 5am. The clocks had gone back the night before, winter was drawing in.
“I’ll never forget seeing you for the first time and feeling like I already knew you. You looked exactly like I imagined. But you’ve always surprised me with your personality. You’re so sassy and witty I adore your humour.
“You have such wonderful empathy for others and a gentle caring nature. I love you and I’m so very proud of you. I can’t wait to watch the woman you’ll become one day.
“But for now please hold my hand for a few more years and tell me I’m your best friend when we cuddle in bed. We can’t stop time but we can appreciate and hold on to the moments that mean the most xxx”
Read more: Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien reveals Bethany plot makes her fear for her own kids safety
After a couple of sweet throwback photos of Scarlett, she also posted a few from the Halloween themed party, captioned “Zombie school girl Halloween birthday party 👻 🎃”