Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham’s eldest daughter is all grown up.
The Ted actor and the Florida-born model first became parents in 2003 when they welcomed Ella, who is now a student at Clemson University in South Carolina.
In addition to Ella, the couple, who tied the knot in 2009, are also parents to sons Michael, 19, and Brendan, 16, and daughter Grace, 15.
Over the weekend, Rhea took to Instagram and shared a round of photos of her summer so far, including snaps from her recent visit to South Carolina to see Ella.
The photo of Ella sees her posing by the water, a slew of boats and a bright orange sunset behind her, as she enjoys a Surfside iced tea seltzer. She appears wearing a butter yellow tank top paired with printed pink shorts, and a tattoo that seems to read “i love you” is visible on her upper forearm. Just last week, Rhea had shared a selfie from a private plane captioned: “On my way to see my biggest baby.”
The doting mom also included a photo of her son Michael playing in the pool with the family dogs, as well as one of his girlfriend Sunni Gaines holding up an adorable dachshund.
© InstagramFans were quick to take to the comments section under the post and gush over it, with one writing: “Beautiful post,” as others followed suit with: “Love the pictures!” and: “Absolutely love your beautiful family,” as well as: “Love your June snapshot.”
When Ella was first dropped off at Clemson when she was 19 in January 2023, Rhea lamented over the tough transition in a since-deleted Instagram post. Sharing a solemn selfie from the airplane, she wrote: “On my way home from my first college drop off,” and confessed: “The emotions are running wild.”
© InstagramIn a September 2023 interview with TODAY.com, Mark shared an update on how Ella, who is part of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at Clemson, was adjusting, maintaining: “She’s just so happy there.”
He added: “She’s really thriving so I understand. Obviously, it’s more difficult for moms, because when you have a child, your own existence revolves around taking care and nurturing this child and helping them grow. But you’re giving life and they go off and do their thing, and hopefully, they come back and spend time with you.”
© InstagramWhile Ella is South Carolina, the rest of the Wahlberg-Durham family has been living in Las Vegas since 2022, and have gushed about the decision. Mark, also opening up about leaving Los Angeles on TODAY in 2023, noted: “You have Las Vegas, and people think automatically, ‘Oh, the Strip.’ But [in] Nevada, there are wonderful communities.”
Though he admitted: “I miss California, I miss the weather,” he added: “The kids are thriving [in Las Vegas].” He further shared: “I live in a wonderful community that’s really faith-based, great schools. There’s much more to Las Vegas than the Strip.”
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