The Rock halts TV production for the birth of his baby daughter

Los Angeles - Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson had production on Ballers shut down for two weeks when his girlfriend gave birth.

The wrestler-turned-actor became a father for the second time on 16 December when he and Lauren Hashian welcomed their daughter Jasmine into the world, but he faced a race against time to be by his partner's side as he was busy filming the HBO show.

Christmas came early! Within minutes of being born she was laying on daddy's chest. And being a grateful man takes on a whole new meaning... Thank you guys so much for the awesome congratulatory wishes and love you've been sending @laurenhashianofficial and myself. We're extremely grateful. Kinda crazy but in this cool and powerful skin to skin bonding moment with my newborn baby Jasmine, I had just one wish I asked the universe... Give me the strength to be a better man today than I was yesterday. If I can accomplish that, then I'd have a good shot at being a great father. To all you young men out there who will be fathers one day, the goal of "being better" will never steer you wrong. Trust me I've been down this road. Something else that'll never steer you wrong is "walking thru the fire" with your baby's mama. I was right there during labor, helping her breathe, every highly intense contraction, every second of pain, right there watching the actual birth, cutting the cord and wiping the tears. Incredible. *(Now don't get me wrong boys, it wasn't like I was at the end of the table, squatting like a catcher waiting for the fastball to come down the pike..?? but as men, it's a miracle we should witness because it'll give you a whole new respect for the strength and beauty of a woman). Again, THANK YOU guys so much for all the love during this blessed time. I always say I'm a lucky dude because I've got the greatest fans in the world - and it's true. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families from ours. #ChristmasCameEarlyToSayHello #WhileSleepOfficiallySaysGoodbye #2xProudPapaSilverback #SheCanDateWhenShes40 ??????????

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Dec 20, 2015 at 2:51pm PST

He told the USA Today newspaper: "So 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I am on the set of Ballers. I get a text from my girlfriend who says, "We're inducing at 6, baby comes tonight." It’s three weeks early.

"I pulled my director aside and said 'Buddy, we're shutting it all down.' 

"So for two weeks we shut Ballers down. But it's great. We're back shooting now. Everything's good."

Though he is now back at work, Dwayne - who also has a 14-year-old daughter, Simone, with ex-wife Dany Garcia - is still a very hands-on dad.

"Let's roll baby.." #MinutesAway #RedCarpet #GoldenGlobes

A video posted by therock (@therock) on Jan 10, 2016 at 4:00pm PST

Speaking on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards, where Simone was his date for the evening, he insisted: "I do everything. I change diapers. I do it all. Because I'm a man and a half. And I do everything."