American talk show veteran Larry King has introduced his son Larry King Jr. to the world - 15 years after they met for the first time.

King Jr., 47, from the TV presenter's brief marriage to Annette Kaye, appeared with his father on his U.S. news programme Larry King Live this week.

King, 75, met his son - now married with three children of his own - nearly 15 years ago when Annette, who was dying of lung cancer, broke the news that she had given birth after their split.

He told viewers, "I've never told it before. I was always wondering how I would tell it publicly, because we've known each other now 15 years. But I met Larry's mother years ago. I was 10 years younger. She was really the kind of - one of the first real relationships in my life. And we got married. It wasn't a long marriage, very fast. But she told me, as we broke up, you know, she said, I'm going to have a baby. And if it's a boy, I'm going to name it Larry King, Jr. I thought that was spite, because we were breaking up. I thought she was mad."

The pair only met when King Jr. was 33, but the TV anchor insists their likeness quickly convinced him they were related, and he turned dow the opportunity to have a paternity test.

He adds, "Then one day I got a call from Annette, who said she was dying of lung cancer and that I had a boy and he was a wonderful boy and I ought to meet him. And I was a little apprehensive - a little worried. I asked my lawyer to go down. He met with Annette. He then met with Larry, Jr. He called me up and he said, 'Listen, do you want to spend $750 on the DNA test - spend, waste the money? He's your kid.' He looks like me, he talks like me, he laughs like me, a sports freak. And so on an historic day for me, I flew down to Miami. And in the lobby of the Omni Hotel, I met him."

King is currently married to singer/actress Shawn Southwick-King and is the father of Andy, Larry Jr., Chaia, Chance and Cannon and stepfather to Danny Southwick.