Pictures: Inline Images
When Cameron Merchant and Jules Robinson met and wed on Married At First Sight Australia five years ago, they could never have imagined just how much their lives would change and exceed even their wildest dreams.
The long-awaited arrival of gorgeous Carter five weeks ago capped off what’s been an incredible journey for Jules, 42, and Cam, 40, who can’t help but break into huge smiles as they see three-year-old Ollie kiss and cuddle his baby brother.
“The highlight for me has been watching Ollie become a brother,” Jules tells Woman’s Day. “On the day I became a mother of two, he became a brother and that’s been beautiful to watch.”
Cam’s equally besotted and calls Carter their “miracle baby”, not because they did IVF or that there were any last-minute emergencies, but simply because he feels so thrilled to have another child to love.
“When you go into the intricate detail of what it takes to bring a little human into the world, every child is a miracle,” he says. Cam adds that he and Jules tried for two years before conceiving naturally.
Pregnancy and parenting an active little boy wouldn’t leave a lot of spare time for most couples. However, Cam and Jules have crammed so much more into the last six months. That includes a home renovation, launching her first book and secretly filming a new show!
“There are a lot of things going on in our lives, but we’re a team. We make it work somehow,” explains Jules, who’s the host of a unique new makeover show called Renovate Me Please.
Former hairdresser Jules and mental health advocate Cam have joined forces with last year’s winners of The Block Australia, Steph and Gian Ottavio, to “renovate” people’s appearances, wardrobes, attitudes and their homes on the new show.
“It’s very from-the-inside-out,” Jules says. “The great thing about this concept is that, as the viewer, you can take value. You can be like, ‘I can do those little changes to myself and make a difference in my life!’ I think the public will enjoy that.”
When the show – which you can only watch on Instagram or TikTok – debuted just over a week ago, more than 250,000 watched the first reel, which featured Tristan Black, who was on MAFS earlier this year.
Jules says it was a “no-brainer” to pick Tristan to kick off the series. She felt viewers “fell in love” with the humble bachelor, who didn’t end up with his TV bride Cassandra Allen. However, he still endeared himself to fans.
“This is new for us and we’re just giving it our best. We’re being ourselves and sharing positivity in the world,” she adds. Then, Jules bursts out laughing when asked if Renovate Me Please could end up competing with MAFS or The Block.
“We’d like to think this show’s more about spreading joy!”
Little Carter’s certainly brought the celebrity couple a lot of happiness since arriving. Although Jules admits it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. The star shared much of her pregnancy journey on social media with her 750,000 followers.
“We’re right in the thick of it,” she says, admitting that she cried every day for the first 18 days after Carter was born. “That’s just becoming a new mum – it’s just a hormonal, emotional rollercoaster!”
Cam, whom she calls her “amazing rock”, also admits, “Not every day is rainbows and unicorns,” revealing they were considering IVF when Jules fell pregnant with Carter.
“We’re so blessed, so grateful,” he says. “We have a wonderful life, but trust me, it’s not all amazing – it’s a lot of hard work. We look back on MAFS and we met at a perfect point in our life.”
Tristan’s MAFS makeover
One of the most popular grooms from this year’s season of MAFS Australia, Tristan has lost 21kg. He’s once again ready to find love after missing out on finding The One on the reality TV show.
New makeover series Renovate Me Please, created by filmmaker Liz Courtney, has given the 30-year-old a “sick 10-out-of-10” transformation. The show helped update his wardrobe, his apartment and hairstyle to give him a newfound confidence.
Follow the Renovate Me Please Instagram page to keep up to date with the show.
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