Shorty role model 'THE POWER OF BEING A GOOD DAD'

Best Actor nominee Stephen tells how a new grandson is the greatest accolade of all

- Sophie Neville

Actor Stephen Lovatt might be best known as Dr Emmett Whitman on Shortland Street, but it wasn't so long ago that he was relying on odd jobs to make ends meet.

After 40 years in showbiz, Stephen understands better than most the ebb and flow of acting work, but today, life couldn't be brighter.

A fixture on the iconic Kiwi soap, he's just been nominated for a Best Actor award and is preparing to tread the boards in not one, but two powerful one-man theatre shows. And best of all, the 61-year-old is relishing his most rewarding role yet - as a devoted grandad to an eight-month-old baby boy.

"Oh, he's pretty awesome, all right," Stephen shares. "I am determined to be a very present, very helpful grandfather not one of those holiday grandparents.

I just love being around him.

He's a bit of a Zen master - he'll lie on my tummy and we'll just look at each other's hands for 20 minutes. It's beautiful." Having graduated from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School almost four decades ago, Stephen has spent his entire adult life in the profession he adores.