“When I first held her in my arms, I was overcome with joy,” Trapanese said. “I felt she was my daughter straight away.”

Now, the father-of-one regularly posts about Alba on Instagram, uploading a mix of heartwarming photographs that show the father and daughter duo playing together in parks and at home.

Trapanese now has more than 154,000 followers thanks to the popularity of his posts.

One recent photograph shows Trapanese brushing Alba’s teeth in their bathroom at home.

“Dad of the year,” commented one person, while another added: “This little girl is really lucky”.