Mark Wahlberg Says Daughter Ella's Boyfriend 'Couldn't Be Any Sweeter'

Mark Wahlberg gets candid about her daughter Ella's dating life.

The "Daddy's Home" star, 50, recently appeared on "The Ellen Show" and revealed what he thought of his daughter's boyfriend.

As host Ellen DeGeneres pointed out that Walhberg must be "intimidating" to Ella's boyfriend, James, the actor said that it's not the case. As a matter of fact, he's more concerned for the boyfriend in their relationship than he is for Ella, 18, who he described as "tough."

"He's more scared of my daughter than he is of me," Wahlberg stated. "I pray for him more than I pray for her in that relationship."

Although he noted that the pair are "perfect for each other" and that James "couldn't be any sweeter."

On his daughter dating, Wahlberg said he "realized early on, it's inevitable, and as long as there's somebody who's nice and treats her well, and somebody that I can trust and respect, we have a great relationship. He's fantastic," adding, "I hope she can keep him."

Ella and James have been dating for a year now. On January 24, the "Uncharted" star went on Instagram and celebrated the couple's milestone, adding a sweet picture of them.

"Happy 1 year anniversary Ella and James 🙏❤️🙏" Wahlberg wrote. "I’m so happy for you guys! I couldn’t be more proud of you Ella!! I love you guys. ❤️🌹"

During his chat with DeGeneres, Wahlberg also shared how his family went on vacation without him because he tested positive for COVID-19. Apart from Ella, he is also a dad to daughter Grace, 12, and sons Michael, 15, and Brendan, 13, whom he shares with wife Rhea Durham.

"I'm down in the basement a couple days before Christmas, I don't get to open gifts with anybody or anything. Next thing you know, they're still going on holiday," the actor recalled.

"And I'm like, and I think I hear the car getting ready, the doors are shutting, and I'm like, 'Are you not the gonna come to the stairs and say goodbye?'" he said laughing. "But they did come to the stairs and stayed not 6 feet apart but like 36 feet apart."

When Wahlberg "got two negative tests," he went out of the basement and rejoined his family, but they weren't too thrilled as they were cautious.

"I was able to see them, and they were like, 'What are you doing? Are you sure it's okay?'" he said. "I still have a little bit of cough and stuff like that, so they didn't really want me there."

The "Ted" star explained, "I understand because the last holiday, my wife got COVID the first day we arrived. Then my son, my youngest son, and my youngest daughter all got it, and they were quarantined. And we had to leave to go to New York. So it was a bit of a payback. I think a little karma."

Wahlberg also revealed that Ella's boyfriend became the "man of the house" while he was "stuck" on quarantine.

"He went on holiday. He's like the man of the house. I'm stuck," he said. "And I'm like, 'Wait a second, this guy slid right in.'"

Although, the "Father Stu" star assured viewers that he was actually cool about James hanging around. In fact, they bonded over fitness.

"He actually came back after we all flew back after the holiday. We stayed for like another week. We worked out. We did lots of stuff together. He's a very good influence," Wahlberg said.

He also noted that "it wasn't a test. You know, all my friends were like, 'Oh, yeah, good idea. Keep them close.' He's such a sweet guy. And yeah, he just wanted to work out, and he has lots of interests that we have in common, so I'm just trying to help him."