Just a few short before news broke on Jan. 30 that Dan Marino had cheated on his wife of 28 years, Claire, and secretly fathered a love child seven years ago with Donna Savattere, a former CBS Sports production assistant, the football legend appeared as a guest on The Talk, where he readily accepted applause from the audience when his happy family was mentioned. Who knew what his family was about to go through?

Dan, 51, appeared on a special edition of the CBS morning show, filmed live in CBS Super Bowl Park at Jackson Square in the heart of the historic French Quarter in New Orleans, to preview the upcoming Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3. When he sat, one of the ladies on the panel mentioned, “You are a happily married father of six,” which drew an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience. Dan smiled as the audience lauded him, but did he have any idea what was about to happen in his life?

Dan Marino Confirms Love Child With Donna Savattere

Later that same day, Dan confirmed his affair with Donna, saying in a statement, “This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then. We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved.”

“My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years and have six children together,” he wrote on what ironically was his 28th wedding anniversary with Claire. “And we continue to be a strong and loving family.”

Dan and Donna’s daughter Chloe, 7, was born in June of 2005 and is currently being raised by Donna and her husband, Nahil Younis, whom she married in 2009.

Watch a clip of Dan on The Talk below, and let us know, HollywoodLifers: Was this some completely awkward timing or what?

WATCH: Dan Marino On ‘The Talk’

– Billy Nilles

More Dan Marino News:

1. Dan Marino’s Wife Claire Was Right Not To Divorce Him
2. Donna Savattere: 5 Things To Know About Dan Marino’s Mistress
3. Dan Marino Should Be Banned From The Super Bowl

Dan Marino cheated on his wife of 28 years, Claire, with Donna Savattere, a production assistant at CBS Sports. Their daughter Chloe, 7, was born in June 2005, and is currently being raised by Donna and her husband.

Dan Marino Fathers Love Child With Donna Savattere

“They had an affair, and she had a baby,” a source told The New York Post. “Everything was on the down-low and secretive.”

The news comes days before Dan, the ex-Miami Dolphins quarterback, is set to work  the big Super Bowl Today telecast on Feb. 3.

Dan, 51, confirmed the affair on Jan. 30, saying in a statement: “This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then. We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved.”

At the time of the affair, Dan was married to his wife of 20 years. They have six kids together, including four boys and two adopted daughters.

“My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years and have six children together,” he wrote on Jan. 30, his 28th wedding anniversary. “And we continue to be a strong and loving family,” Dan continued in his statement.

Dan allegedly agreed to pay Donna millions to raise Chloe and she moved to Texas as part of the deal.

“They would have impromptu meetings, which was part of the deal,” a source told the newspaper. “Donna was always saying she had to go meet with her lawyers to go over the scheduling and other issues.”

Donna’s closest friends apparently knew that Dan was the father of her daughter. When she married Nahill Younis in 2009, Donna petitioned to change Chloe’s name from Chloe Alexis Savattere to Chloe Alexis Younis.
Managing Editor Bill Earl thinks CBS should can Dan and not allow him to cover the Super Bown on Feb. 3!

Dan’s Children Support Him

Dan’s children are very vocal about what a great father he is. His son Michael, 24, is autistic, and Dan has established a charity called the DanMarino Foundation that holds an annual awareness day called Walkabout Autism. It has been running for twenty years, and his son Michael spoke about how supportive he is.

“He is just a very kind person, a very good father and he cares a lot about his kids,” said Michael to CBS Local. “Because of (his) support and that push, I am able to be who I am today and be able to speak well, which I had a real problem with when I was younger,” recalled Marino. ”I found myself when I was younger pointing at a lot of things.”

His son Joseph, 23, plays a lot of golf with his father. He posted a telling tweet on Dec. 25 2011, when he said “Spent my Christmas at the beach with my dad @DanMarino.” It is interesting that he did not mention any other family members or his mom — were Dan and Claire separated at this time?

What do YOU think, HollyMoms? Should Dan’s wife leave him?

— Chris Rogers

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@ChrisRogers86
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