MIKE MUNRO MY GRANDKIDS HEALED.MY HEART

He's one of Aussie IV's biggest names but now family comes first

- Olivia O'Brien

Mike Munro never dreamed he'd one day be surrounded by a big, loving family while growing up the "lonely" only child of a troubled single mother.

"It was just Mum and I... No other family really, except Dad, who sort of came in and out of my life," he tells Woman's Day, as he pops a pot of coffee on the stove at his home on Sydney's North Shore, which is filled with family photos and artwork from his six grandchildren. "But now we're a family of 12. I love that!" beams the 69-year-old of the extended Munro clan.

Fourteen years after leaving Nine, where he became an Aussie TV icon presenting a string of shows including 60 Minutes and A Current Affair, the signature sparkle in Mike's eyes is still there as he recounts how different life is these days.

"I was never comfortable with the fame," the presenter - who also had stints at Seven and Ten - tells Woman's Day. "You're earning a lot of money. You're travelling the world like a millionaire. You want a helicopter? Get a helicopter. You want to go write in Paris? Go on, write in Paris! It was unbelievable."