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Former Studio 10 co-host Jessica Rowe, 54, Channel Nine newsreader Peter Overton, 58, have managed to do what many couples in the limelight aren’t able to: keep a happy marriage.
In January 2024, the pair celebrated an admirable 20 years of marriage, with Jess taking to Instagram to share a touching tribute to her husband on the day of their anniversary.
’20 years ago today I made the best decision of my life! Happy anniversary my darling Petee. 💗💗💗💗 #timeflies #anniversary #20years #spagbolforanother20years,’ she wrote alongside a sweet snap of the the two TV personalities.
Jess gushed about her husband Pete in the Instagram post. (Credit: Instagram)
This year the pair celebrate 21 years, with Jess posting another beautiful tribute to her husband.
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“Happy 21st Wedding Anniversary my darling Petee!! This first pic sums us up & why we work- you are the Yin to my Yang! Opposites really do attract. And as you tell me daily, ‘Pussycat I love you so much even though you do my head in!!!’ (And this Tom Jones song was our bridal waltz) #weddinganniversary #21years #oppositesattract
And if you didn’t already feel the overwhelming love between the two, then the story of how they met will be sure to make your smile!
Peter and Jessica actually first met when the former Studio 10 host was just 19-years-old and was doing university work experience at Channel Nine.
Peter was a sports reporter at the time and was one of the few journalists who actually gave her the time of day.
Years later, when Jessica was an established journalist in her own right, the pair bumped into each other at the Logies, and Peter recognised her.
They got talking and with a bad boyfriend on his way out of her life, Jess thought, “Why can’t I meet a nice man like this? Why am I not attracting really good decent people like this beautiful man?’,” she told Mia Freedman’s No Filter podcast.
Pete and Jess are obviously soulmates! (Credit: Instagram)
She got chatting to her friend, rugby league reporter Tony Peters, about her sudden singledom and her desire to find a nice guy.
She mentioned Peter’s name and the next thing you know, he had rung up Peter and convinced him to ask Jessica out. But why did Peter take some convincing?
Well, Peter was newly divorced – he married his childhood sweetheart but they split in 2000 – and had just started a busy new job at 60 Minutes, where he was still finding his feet.
He wasn’t really looking to date anyone, but Tony kept at him, and eventually Peter agreed he’d give it a shot.
“I said, ‘Well if she rings me within 10 minutes and asks me out, I’ll go,'” Peter told 9Honey.
“And she rang. And I said, ‘I like your style.’
While speaking on her podcast, The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, Peter revealed how he knew Jess was ‘the one.’
“Because you were so generous of spirit, so loving, so caring, so consistent. And you made me happy,” he said when Jess then recollected how she also knew: “Such a decent good person. And I knew I could always count on you. You had a wonderful solidity. You were like a rock to me.”
“I knew I could always count on you and you wouldn’t be going anywhere.”
Peter and Jessica have two teenage daughters. (Credit: Instagram)
After their marriage in 2004, the next step was to have beautiful babies, but it didn’t come easily.
After a long journey with IVF, Jess gave birth to her first daughter Allegra on January 18, 2007.
“We are overjoyed by the arrival of our little miracle. It was the happiest day of our lives and we feel blessed to be a family,” Jess and Peter said in a statement at the time.
Two years later, the couple welcomed their second daughter Giselle. Jess even interrupted Peter while he was filming 60 Minutes to alert him that labour had begun.
Peter and Jessica pictured in 2005. (Credit: Getty)
