Ryan Reynolds thanks his family for giving him ‘strength’ at People’s Choice Awards

Ryan Reynolds has gushed about his wife Blake Lively and their three daughters for giving him “more strength than any man could possibly deserve”.

The Deadpool star collected the People’s Choice Icon award on Tuesday night (6 December) for his contributions to film and television.

He also thanked his family for supporting him “despite some pretty damn questionable years”.

Reynolds, 46, was praised for his “unique ability to create joy” following the announcement.

During the annual awards ceremony, which took place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, Reynolds told the audience that there were too many people to thank from throughout his career.

He added, however that he would “be pretty remiss if I didn’t mention that it starts with my family and it ends with my family”.

“To my mom, to my three brothers... and to my dad who left us a few years ago. Boy, if he could see all the things that have been going on, he wouldn’t be impressed with this stuff, he’d be most blown away by his three little granddaughters,” he said.

“Wherever he is right now. I promise you he’s probably not watching the People’s Choice Awards,” Reynolds, who recently released the Wales-based documentary Welcome To Wrexham, joked.

He continued: “But to my original family, thank you for making me who I am.

“Thank you for your unfailing support of me, despite some pretty damn questionable years.

“Blake and my girls, you are quite literally – you’re my heart. You’re my hope, you’re my happiness.

“I joke that my family exhausts me but in reality you give me more strength than any man could possibly deserve.”

As he and Lively are expecting their fourth child, Reynolds also promised fans they would be joined by their new arrival soon, prompting cheers and applause from the audience.

Reynolds and Lively have been married since 2013 and share daughters James, seven, Inez, five, and Betty, two.

Earlier this year, the actor opened up about raising their three “wild” daughters and admitted that, like most parents, he has “snapped” at his girls.

He told Page Six: “I’m like any parent – I’ll have a moment where I’ll just snap. It’s not so much what you do in the moment that’s interesting, it’s what you do afterwards.”

“I used to tell my kids, ‘Don’t waste your mistakes,’” he continued. “When you’re making mistakes it’s easy to sort of be absorbed by shame and sort of this idea that you’ve done something wrong, but you also have to look at it critically and use it as a stepping stone to learning something profound.”

Other stars who were honoured at the ceremony included Shania Twain, who received the People’s Choice Music Icon Award, and Lizzo, who was given the People’s Champion Award.

Lizzo also won Song of the Year for her hit song, “About Damn Time”.