Channing Tatum encourages fellow single dads to adventure 'into their daughter's world'



"I didn't wear nail polish or know how to braid hair. But now I do both."

Channing Tatum opened up about the challenges of being a single dad and revealed what he fears most as he raises his 7-year-old daughter, Everly.

The "Magic Mike" actor, 40, chatted with Parents magazine for its upcoming May issue and offered advice for other single dads -- especially those raising daughters.

"I want dads not to be afraid to go into their daughter's world and discover who they are," Tatum said, admitting that he felt that same initial resistance at the start of his journey.

"When I became a single father, I had a lot of fear about connecting to Everly in every way that a little girl might want. I didn't wear nail polish or know how to braid hair," he said. "But now I do both."

"I paint my face, I wear tutus -- rarely am I around the house without some sort of costume on," the "Step Up" star chuckled before explaining how proud he is to share such special moments with his young daughter.

"I jumped with both feet into this magical world, and I was rewarded with a kind of love that I don't think I would have ever been able to have otherwise," he said.

Sharing memories and experiences with his daughter is what inspired him to consider writing a children's book, Tatum said. His picture book, "The One and Only Sparkella," arrives May 4.

Tatum said he connects with his daughter by turning into a bookworm before bedtime.

"We usually get to five books per night," he noted. "I'll read one, and then she'll read one, and so forth."

Tatum shares Everly, whom he described as being "bold, beautiful, and magical in every way" with ex-wife Jenna Dewan.

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