In Touch Weekly – August 12, 2019

TUNE IN! Million Dollar Listing New York airsThursdaysat 9 p.m.on Bravo

TOP

OF HIS

GAME

“I’ve never
been better,”
says Fredrik,
who currently
has a team of
64 people
working in
his NYC, LA
and Miami
offices. “I’m
a very busy
boy. Life is
good.”

F

redrik Eklund knows a thing or two about stress. As a top real es- tate agent in New York City, the star of Bravo’s hit reality series Million Dollar Listing New York deals with high-pressure negotiations over multimillion-dollar homes every day — not to mention de- manding clients and ultra-com- petitive co-workers nipping at his heels. But having twins Freddy and Milla with his hus- band of six years, artist Derek Kaplan, via surrogate in No- vember 2017 has helped the 42 -year-old not take his work quite as seriously. “Fatherhood has been really good for me,” says the Stockholm native. “I can laugh at the things that used to make me really upset. Or, even if I do get upset, when I get home and they scream ‘Dada’ and run to hug me, everything splashes away.” Here, the former IT entrepreneur and author of The Sell talks to In Touch’s Diana Cooper about going bicoastal after moving his family to LA, his biggest sale yet and which celebrity client made him most starstruck!

Sounds like you’ve really embraced becoming a dad. FE: It’s something I wanted for so long, but also something that’s more complex than I thought. It’s made me more humble and mature.

How are the twins? FE: Oh my God, they’re at such a great age. That first year was rough but now I’m on cloud nine. They’re easier, and they’ve started talking. They’re so cute and soft, and they smell so good!

Are you spoiling them like crazy? FE: I literally have bought

exciting. There’s an even bigger one in the works.

Wow. How do you juggle everything? FE: Therewasaperiod afterthekidscamewhenI feltlike,“OK,thisisalot.” But I cameoutof it,andnow I feel like I’m just getting started.I feelmoreenergized because of them. They give melife. ◼

OnaLighterNoteÉ Fredrikanswersour burningquestions!

WHO’SMADEYOU MOST STARSTRUCK? JustinTimberlake.There havebeenso many.For th e firstthreesecondsI get shy,butthenI overcomeit.

WHAT’SONEFACT

ABOUTYOUTHATWOULD

SURPRISEUS?

I’ mthebestchefin theworld. No, really!Eatmy food,andyou’re goingto fallin love.

WHAT’SYOUR

GUILTYPLEASURE?

Mi ntchocolatechip ic e cream.

WHATDIDYOUHAVEFOR

BREAKFASTTHISMORNING?

Cerealwith bl ueberriesand almondmilk.

DOYOUHAVE

ANYCOLLECTIONS?

I’ mnotreallya collectorofthings. I li keto collectsongs.I makea lot ofgreatplaylists!

BIGGESTSPLURGE

PURCHASEEVER?

Mymultimillion-dollarapartmentin NewYorkCity.

BONDING MOMENT

Though they’ve gone head- to-head in previous seasons, Fredrik says he and his co-stars Ryan Serhant and Steve Gold are closer now that they’re all dads. “There’s less of a rivalry.”

them toys and gifts every day since they were born. I buy dresses for Milla all the time and got a pink Jeep for our country home in Connecticut.

What’s been the biggest parenting challenge so far? FE: Not spoiling them! I grew up in a 900-square-foot apart- ment in Stockholm with five people. I want to give them everything, but also want them to be driven people. Derek is better at it than I am.

You just moved to LA. Why? FE: When I was growing up in Sweden watching Beverly Hills, 90210, it was like a dream world! I got my license here last year, and business started going well, so I figured I could go to NYC every week and live here.

You’ve worked with a lot of celebs over the years. Who stands out? FE: Sarah Jessica Parker was really fun for me, because Sex and the City is one of the rea- sons I moved to New York. Jennifer Lopez was a lot of fun, too.

What’s been your biggest sale yet? FE: I have a $60 million con- tract out right now. That’s