Mark Wahlberg Wishes Daughter Ella and Her Boyfriend a Happy Anniversary: ‘So Happy for You Guys’

mark wahlberg’s daughter anniversary mark wahlberg/ instagram; Nicholas Hunt/Getty

Mark Wahlberg has given daughter Ella Rae his official stamp of boyfriend approval.

On Monday, the Ted star, 50, wished his 18-year-old daughter and her boyfriend, James, a happy one-year anniversary with a sweet tribute on Instagram.

“Happy 1 year anniversary Ella and James 🙏❤️🙏 I’m so happy for you guys! I couldn’t be more proud of you Ella!! I love you guys. ❤️🌹,” Wahlberg writes alongside a photo of the couple smiling together.

Wahlberg, who also shares sons Michael, 15, Brendan, 13, and 11-year-old daughter Grace Margaret with wife Rhea Durham, 43, has previously raved about Ella’s boyfriend, recently calling him a “great young man.”

Earlier this month, the two-time Academy Award nominee hit the gym with James and shared a short clip from their sweat session to Instagram. “Ella is a lucky girl and I’m a lucky dad! He is a great young man,” he captioned the post.

“I used to work out to keep the boys away from my girls, and now I’m working out with the boyfriend. Imagine that,” Wahlberg mused in the video while the two wore matching t-shirts.

He was applauded by some fellow dads in the comments section. “Heyyy keep ’em close. Smart,” wrote Mario Lopez.

The Infinite star previously opened up about parenting a then-14-year-old Ella when she first started dating. “It’s inevitable — at some point, it’s gonna happen,” he said on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2017. “I wanna know who she’s gonna be hanging out with, what his parents are like, all that stuff.”

When asked if a potential boyfriend “would be terrified” of him, the Uncharted actor admitted, “I would think so.”