Dana Tran is giving a rare glimpse into life with her and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ daughter, Love, who is celebrating her fourth birthday today on October 15.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Tran, 32, opened up about her daughter’s personality, their close bond, and how she is navigating motherhood while Combs serves a federal prison sentence.
“All of us, [including her] siblings, we call her an old soul because she acts like an old lady in a little 3-year-old body,” Tran shared. “She’s hilarious, and she doesn’t even purposely act hilarious. It’s just her spunky-like character. It’s just natural, and people are very drawn to her.”
At home, the mother-daughter duo spend plenty of time together in the kitchen. Tran, who is Vietnamese, has made cooking an important part of Love’s upbringing.
“She always cooks with me. That’s something really, really, really big. … She’s been able to crack an egg since about a year,” she explained.
While Love is enjoying her childhood, Tran is also navigating the challenges of raising her without her father physically present.
“She knows exactly who her dad is. She actually recognizes his songs. She obviously doesn’t know anything going on,” Tran said of Combs’ incarceration.
The music mogul remains in contact with their daughter, although communication is limited.
“You don’t get calls every day. You can’t. There’s no way. There’s no access. So we take what we can get, and he tries,” she continued.
Tran revealed that she sought advice from people who had visited incarcerated parents as children before deciding whether Love should visit her father in prison.
“I’m thinking of my child’s well-being, so I wasn’t against it. I just wasn’t gung ho about it right away, and no one pressured me,” she admitted. “It was me speaking to people that were kids visiting incarcerated parents, and every single one of them told me that it actually helped them, not hurt them. Because prior to that, I was kind of against it.”
Meanwhile, Combs’ six older children have remained a constant presence in their youngest sister’s life.
“They fight me on time with her because they always want her. They treat her like their child. They’re great with her,” Tran said.
“They’re very protective of her, which is awesome. They’re actually at times a lot more strict than me,” she added. “So it’s a good balance. We have a great relationship. They’re very present.”
As Love grows older, Tran knows there will come a time when her daughter will ask questions about her father’s legal troubles.
“I don’t have the answer for that today, but it’s something that she can’t — none of us can — run away or hide from, and it’s nothing she needs to be ashamed of. It has nothing to do with her,” she said.
As for what she hopes the future holds for Combs and their child, Tran wants them to have an opportunity to develop a meaningful father-daughter relationship.
“I hope when he is free, he can build a relationship and have a chance. I feel like every child deserves to get to know their father,” she said.
For now, Tran is focused on providing Love with a strong foundation.
“I want her to feel loved and very safe and celebrated as a kid. **…** I want her growing up knowing that she needs to work hard, be educated and be scholarly because that’s my background,” the proud mom said.
