Single dad 'overcome with joy' after holding adopted daughter with Down syndrome for the first time

Alba was given up for adoption by her mother because she has Down syndrome

Little Alba was just 13 days old when she was adopted by Luca Trapanese.

The little girl was given up for adoption by her mother because she has Down syndrome.

She had been abandoned by her biological mother and rejected by more than 20 families.

Then, 41-year-old Luca held her in his arms and was "overcome with joy", RSVP Live report.

“I felt she was my daughter straight away," he said.

Luca, from Naples, has documented his new life with his daughter Alba on Instagram while declaring “I am proud to be her dad.”

Luca told the BBC: “Since I was 14 years old, I have volunteered and worked with the disabled so I felt I had the right knowledge and experience to do it.”

Speaking of the moment he first met his newborn daughter, he said: “When I first held her in my arms, I was overcome with joy.

“I felt she was my daughter straight away.

"It was the first time I held a newborn baby. Before that moment, I have always been scared.

“But, when I first held Alba, I knew I was ready to be her dad.”

Luca has become an internet sensation as more than 131,000 fans on Instagram have have followed his journey raising his daughter.

He says the child has "revolutionised his life and everything revolves around her."

"She brought me happiness and a sense of fulfilment. I am proud to be her dad," he added.

And despite Alba being rejected by 20 other families and her own mother, Luca insists he never hesitated in adopting her.

He said: "I wanted her to be my daughter."

During the radio interview he also explained that his case is special because it “destroys stereotypes about fatherhood, religion and family.”