Bundle of joy has tamed Bully

Little Gracie Jo Bull barely weighs 7lbs and can fit snugly on dad's forearm as she enters the second week of her life.

She is clearly the apple in her father's eye, but his joy at her birth also strengthens Steve Bull's resolve to reconnect with his first two sons.

Steve and his wife Kirsty opened the doors of their £500,000 home as he spoke about his private torment.

He has not seen his boys, aged 15 and 11, for eight years following the end of his second marriage to the boys' mother Julie.

It was two years ago that Bull spoke publicly for the first time about his isolation from his two boys, who still live a short distance away, following the breakdown of his relationship with Julie.

Frustrating hours in the courtroom failed to provide a solution and now, aside from the occasional text message or phone call, he remains cut off from their lives.

But the man who used to strike fear into defences across the land openly concedes he has a soft side and the arrival of his first daughter has brought out all his yearning to once more be a father to his sons.

"They have got a baby sister now, and she is beautiful," says Bully. "I hope the boys will one day want to know about how she is doing just as she will want to know about her brothers.

"Their photographs are all over the house and as she grows, Gracie Jo is going to want to know who they are. But I've had absolutely no contact with them now for eight years. I rang Julie to ask her to tell the boys they now had a baby sister and I will send them a letter with a picture of her.

"I'm hoping they will want to come and see her. Sooner or later I am sure they will. I've been pushed out of their lives but I would like them to be part of this one – and perhaps little Gracie Jo will be the bond which brings us all together again.

"I am not complaining. I am a lucky man. I had a great career and I really enjoy the job I have now with Wolves. My work with the Promise Dreams charity, which helps sick and terminally ill children, puts everything into perspective.

"I am confident my boys will come back to me one day unlike some of the kids I meet who may not make it. I've got two healthy sons and now a beautiful healthy baby girl.

"I love kids and I think I am good dad. And that's what it's all about in the end, isn't it?"

His wife is able to verify the new domesticated Bull tamed by the two women in his life. The former England striker has eased Kirsty's nerves about first-time motherhood while whipping up an expanding range of dishes for evening meals.

"What do you fancy?" he says as if he is talking about some of his favourite goals. "Lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise, chilli, curry? Anything you like. I really enjoy it in the kitchen now."

Kirsty reveals: "He has been an absolute godsend. Every night, there's been dinner on the table at 7.30pm. I get into a tangle trying to get a vest on Gracie Jo and Steve's the one saying 'Come here, let me show you how it's done.'"

And the couple have every reason to believe their new little bundle of joy is extra special. She was born in the early hours of Remembrance Sunday, an auspicious enough day on the nation's calendar, following a third course of IVF treatment, an emotionally-draining experience for so many couples desperate for children.

Kirsty had been trying for four years to conceive before they turned to IVF in August of last year. On the day that Kirsty discovered she was pregnant, they had just taken delivery of the first wave of papers to begin an adoption process.

"We wanted a child to love, that's all we knew," says Kirsty, "and we were seriously considering adopting when we discovered the IVF had finally worked. The papers arrived the day we found out I was pregnant.

"It is an expensive process and we sold my car to help finance it. But we were determined to experience parenthood together and consider ourselves very lucky to have little Gracie Jo at the end of it all.

"I know for some couples it is difficult time and can be very stressful but the message has got to be that it is worth it to have a chance of bringing a Gracie Jo into the world."

And Bully adds with a laugh: "Kirsty delivered at Russells Hall and we can't thank them enough, absolutely wonderful staff – especially the midwife Vicki Andrews. She turned out to be a Baggies fan and now has to walk around knowing she brought another Bull into the world!"

The couple will have a short break from business duties before the thriving events company they run brings its year to a close with another Christmas Ball, in aid of the Promise Dreams charity for children seriously or terminally ill, at the Civic Hall on December 13.

And although Gracie Jo's arrival came too late for her inclusion, there's even a limited edition Bully Christmas calendar on sale this year for the first time.

The man whose name and deeds drive all this is conscious of his role as modern day Black Country icon and does not take it for granted.

"I keep saying to Kirsty 'when's all this going to end? They must be sick and tired of Steve Bull by now.' But it never seems to stop," he says.

"Even Gracie Jo's arrival has brought that home. We've had so many cards and flowers from people and can't thank them all enough. But there's some cards and messages there from names we don't recognise, just supporters who want to send their best wishes.

"But then you think about John Richards, who is the generation before me. He is always in demand and always a hero in the Wolves family.

"I am just grateful that they still think of me that way. I'll be at the matches and suddenly think 'They haven't sang the song for a few games. Is that it? Have they forgotten me?'

"And then right on cue, the Southbank will strike up 'Stevie Bull's a tatter' and I get this warm glow. It's fantastic.

"I'm proud of what I achieved at Wolves and I think the fans are still proud of me. I hope so."

Meanwhile, Gracie Jo won't have too long to wait for her first visit to Molineux

"She may as well get used to it," says Bully, as the proud parents have pencilled in the Christmas home match against Leicester for her debut at her dad's old battle ground.

The man himself has been so busy running around it has taken some of the tension out of the build-up to this weekend's Black Country derby.

"I'm normally like every other committed fan when this game comes around, be they Albion or Wolves. You are desperate to win," he says. "Normally, I'm getting a little jumpy by now.

"But I really haven't had that much time to think about it so far this week – I've been too busy looking after this pair. Gracie Jo has made it the perfect end to the year and a Wolves win on Sunday would be dreamland.

"A beautiful baby girl and Wolves beating the Baggies?

"It's too much to ask for, isn't it?"