Celebrity Parents Mark Wahlberg Works Out with Daughter Ella's Boyfriend: 'A Great Young Man' "Ella is a lucky girl and I'm a lucky dad!" Mark Wahlberg captioned a video of himself working out with 18-year-old daughter Ella Rae's boyfriend By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Glenn Garner is a form writer-reporter who worked heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. He left PEOPLE in 2023. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 8, 2022 03:01PM EST Photo: Mark Wahlberg/Instagram Mark Wahlberg has found a new gym buddy. The two-time Academy Award nominee, 50, worked out with his 18-year-old daughter Ella Rae's boyfriend in a short clip he posted Friday 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," Mark mused in the video while wearing matching T-shirts. He was applauded by some fellow dads in the comments section. "Heyyy keep 'em close. Smart," wrote Mario Lopez. Mark Wahlberg Celebrates Daughter Ella's 18th Birthday, Remembers Late Sister Debbie in Tribute Mark 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." He also spoke to PEOPLE about the familial friction that comes with raising a teenage girl. "It's tough, but people say that they pass through it and they come back to you," he said in 2018. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "She wants to go be off and doing her thing," Mark added. "[There's] a lot of attitude, a lot of aggression, a lot of, 'You're the worst, you ruin everything!' " RELATED VIDEO: Mark Wahlberg Shares Before and After Snaps of 20 Lb. Weight Gain in 3 Weeks Mark celebrated Ella's 18th birthday on Sept. 2, which is a bittersweet date, as she was born the same day his sister Debbie Wahlberg died of a heart attack. "Happy B day my Ella 18 years old wow how time flies. So proud of you!! Always A bittersweet day. Missing my big sister Debbie, Ella's Guardian angel," he wrote. The Infinite actor and wife Rhea Durham, 43, share Ella, as well as sons Michael, 15, Brendan, 13, and 11-year-old daughter Grace Margaret.