J.R. Martinez Baby: DWTS Champion Became A Father

latest champion, J.R. Martinez, recently became a father as his girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones gave birth Wednesday night to Lauryn Annabelle.

Baby “Belle” was born weighing seven pounds and thirteen ounces, measuring 21 inches long, People.com reported. In regards to the origins of the newborn’s name, 28-year-old Martinez told PEOPLE:

“She’s already got a nickname — Belle. Her first name, Lauryn, is after Diana’s younger sister who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. And her middle name, Anabelle, is after my sister who passed away when she was six.”

JR Martinez, who was the first contestant on this season’s DWTS to rack up a perfect score of 30, found his baby daughter absolutely adorable as he was quoted having said:

“She has a couple of cute little freckles on her cheeks, a full head of hair and the cutest little lips. It’s just amazing to see her, finally. She’s beautiful.”

Jose Rene Martinez was severely burned by an IED explosion in Iraq back in 2003 while serving his country. Upon his return home from duty, J.R. launched a career as a motivational speaker. He met his current girlfriend while working as an executive producer’s assistant on the set of All My Children in 2008. The two were not romantically involved until 2010.

Lauryn Anabelle Martinez was born Wednesday evening, May 2, 2012, in Los Angeles, California.

The L.A. Times reported that back in December, the couple announced they had a child on the way and JR tweeted at the time:

“Not everything in life unfolds #traditionally just count your #blessings along the way and keep your #integrity.”