Hands on father Ricky Martin lives la vida tranquila with his twin water-babies

He once famously lived the crazy life. But now contented father and  Livin' La Vida Loca singer Ricky Martin is happier to take life at a calmer pace.

The 38-year-old allowed chats show host Oprah Winfrey's cameras to follow him and the toddlers, who were born by surrogate in 2008, as they frolicked on the beach, splashed about in their pool and played board games at their Miami Beach home.

And it's clear they are natural water babies.

Quality time: Ricky says he wants to be a hands-on father. 'I want them to be 15, 16 and say, "Daddy, you were always there with us and for us,"' he told Oprah

The idyllic family life has been made all the more blissful, as the Puerto Rican singer reveals he is in a relationship.

Martin sat down with Oprah for a tell-all interview for the first time since coming out  in March this year.

He says his children were the reason behind his life-changing decision to confirm his sexuality, which has long been the subject of speculation.

'I guess the most important thing is my children,' he reveals in the episode which aired in the US yesterday.

For the first time in years, Martin also took to the stage with British star Joss Stone to perform their new single The Best Thing About Me Is You.

Two years before coming out, the La Vida Loca singer had used a surrogate mother to become the father of his twin boys.

Martin told Oprah his children were the reason he felt he had to come clean about his sexuality.

'I couldn't take it any more. It was too painful,' he said.

In the no holds barred interview, Martin opened up about his battle to accept his homosexuality, which he realised from a young age.

'It was very difficult because for many years I was trying to pretend I was somebody else because of how I grew up in a conservative world, a conservative culture, very religious.

'My beliefs were telling me that my feelings and attraction towards men were evil and wrong.

'I always felt an attraction even at age four or five there was this chemistry. Obviously it was not what I was supposed to feel. The first day I went to school I came back and people were asking me do I have an girlfriends yet, and how many girlfriends did I have?'

At the age of 21, he fell in love with a man so deeply that he wanted to throw in his career to live a life of anonymity.

'I wanted to leave everything and I said 'Let's go live in Europe, or Asia'. I was ready to give up my career. It felt amazing.

'But he told me we shouldn't do that. He said 'Your mission in life is very clear. You move masses of people and I cannot be a burden to that, you'll blame me'.

Back on form: Martin took to the stage with British star Joss Stone to perform their new single The Best Thing About Me Is You

'They were very beautiful words, maybe he wasn't as in love with me as I was him but I understood.'

It was around that time that Ricky's beloved mother realised her son's secret and gave him the acceptance he desperately needed.

'My mum asked me 'Are you in love?'

'I said 'Yes' and she said 'With a man?' and I said 'Yes'. She said 'I love you, don't worry, come and give me a hug.'

Martin spoke about trauma he suffered after what turned out to be a controversial interview with American journalist Barbara Walters in 2005.

She pointedly asked him if he was gay during a high-profile televised event, which he says made him feel 'violated'.

'I was feeling like she was beating me up! I had my monologue prepared, the way I was used to answering things.

'But she kept on going and going and I just wasn't ready Oprah. It was not my moment.

'I felt anger afterwards because I felt invaded and violated. It wasn't the first time I'd been asked this question but it was on a massive TV special.

'It then gave right to every journalist to ask the question, because they wanted it to be them that I finally tell.

'But was I ready to tell the world who I was? Maybe I didn't even know who I was.

'It was treated in very scandalous way and people were mocking my sexuality and I didn't want to be 'that'.

'I wanted to reject myself, I thought 'I hate myself'.

'When someone isn't ready we must not try to force them out. People are being bullied and committing suicide because they're gay and it's horrible.

'Whenever you're ready you through the process, the spiritual process to accept yourself and then, it feels amazing when you do so.'

For years, Martin believed he was bisexual because he also felt a strong attraction to the opposite sex and enjoyed passionate love affairs.

Oprah read out a passage from his new memoir 'Me', which said: 'The thing is I didn't just like her a lot this woman drove me crazy, the attraction, desire and physical passion I felt for her tore me up in every way.

'It was physical chemistry overload, the way we both moved together. The whole thing drove me insane.'

These days, Ricky is more certain of his feelings.

'I am not bisexual, I am a gay man,' he declared.

'For many years I thought I was, I was confused because when I was with a woman everything was perfect but people loved to see me with women and I thought 'I'm gonna make this work'.

'I felt it with a woman, I felt passion and it felt good. And I'm sure I'm not the only gay man that felt attraction towards women. I never lied I told her it felt amazing.

'Sometimes I really did fall in love with women, for many years I did. They're still my friends today.'

Instead of facing up to reality, Ricky threw himself into making music and touring.

But his defining moment came in recent years, when Ricky would lie in bed at night plagued with self-loathing.

'I'd go to bed and say 'I hate myself', and I didn't want to say that again,'  he said.

'I'd say 'Look at everything you've done with family, with charity and all the love you've given - how can you hate yourself?' It's such a horrible word, but yes I felt hate.

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