His ex-fiancée Lucy Bolster gave birth to his first child Emilie on 10 March 2004 at 1.15 AM GMT. Emilie weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces at birth.
AS I`M A CELEB STAR SAYS HE`S `CARING & SHARING`, EX STORMS... DUMPED LUCY`S FURY AT SHOW
By Alice Walker And Nic North
I`M A Celebrity`s Mr Nice Guy Antony Costa is exposed today as a bad dad who has little contact with his beautiful 20-month-old daughter.
The former star with boy band Blue has boasted to millions of viewers about his caring, sharing qualities.
But his baby`s family reveal that the self-styled gentleman - who was voted out of the jungle camp on Friday night -
DUMPED fiancee Lucy Bolster by phone when she was six months pregnant.
CUT baby daughter Emilie out of his life by rarely seeing her.
INFURIATED Lucy and her father with his TV boasts of being a decent person and devoted family man.
Advertisement
Angry Lucy, 24, who has raised their daughter single-handedly since her birth, told The People: "I was left on my own. I`ve had to get on with it and start a new life.
"I have never ever ever stopped Antony from seeing his daughter. You can make your own assumptions as to whose choice it is."
And Lucy`s dad Robert, a retired headmaster, said: "For him to go on television and proclaim his supposed virtues is, frankly, hypocrisy. It is utter hogwash."
Millionaire singer Antony, who was paid £25,000 for his two-week jungle stint, tried to grab the female vote by constantly telling viewers about his caring qualities.
And talking about his new girlfriend, Emmerdale star Adele Silva, he gushed: "I want to have kids."
But his claims have upset Lucy and her dad.
The ex-beautician said: "I look after Emilie and I have done since the day she was born.
"Antony is welcome to see Emilie whenever he wants and if he does or he doesn`t that`s nothing to do with me.
"Whether or not he does, it`s not coming from our side."
A close friend added: "What makes Lucy so furious is that Antony just hasn`t got his priorities right. Lucy is a proud woman but privately she is furious."
Lucy was left distraught when Costa ditched her by phone just weeks before Christmas two years ago.
He ordered her to leave the home they shared in Sawbridgeworth, Herts, although she was pregnant with Emilie.
She was forced to move back in with her parents and bring up her daughter.
When Emilie was born in March last year, Antony claimed he was going to take his role as dad seriously.
He boasted: "I was there for the labour, it was a magical experience."
But a year and a half on, he has little contact with his daughter.
Lucy now lives in Bournemouth, Dorset with fiance Mark Rednapp - brother of former England soccer star Jamie.
She said the star had no excuse not to visit his daughter despite him living on the other side of London.
Lucy, who also has four-year-old son Joe from a previous relationship, said: "How far can you be away?
"I`ve had to move away because all my family have left London and I couldn`t stay on my own with two children. I was left on my own. Bournemouth`s not far. It`s like going to the other side of London." Greek-Cypriot Antony, who is now carving out a solo career, repeatedly claimed on the ITV show he is a decent person and a devoted family man who hopes to propose to Emmerdale star Adele.
But Lucy`s father, who taught David Beckham for several years when he was head teacher at Chase Lane Junior School in East London, said: "I must say I`m surprised by what Antony has said about himself on the show.
"He appears to be spending a lot of his time telling anyone who will listen what a good person he is, but that`s not my experience of him. I would say he is exactly 180 degrees away from that.
"I know the truth about Antony and I can tell you he has not behaved like a good person as far as Lucy and Emilie are concerned.
"As Emilie`s grandfather and Lucy`s dad, I feel uncomfortable with the thought that Antony is trying to reinvent himself now as a caring father when it is clearly not the case."
On the jungle show, Antony was seen last week telling the other celebrities that he would give away his last pennies if someone needed it. And after completing a challenge in which some stars were allowed a mince pie but others weren`t, "kind-hearted" Antony offered to share his with Sheree.
He said: "I can`t stand it. I`m not going to have it if you can`t have it. I`m just not like that. I won`t eat mine unless everyone gets one."
But Lucy`s father, who now lives in Cardiff, said: "How Antony can claim to be a good person when he treated Emilie and Lucy like he did is beyond me.
"He badly let them both down and proved to be a giant-sized disappointment to them.
"I spent a lot of time with Antony when he was with Lucy and I trusted him.
"I thought he h