As far as siblings go, they don’t get much more different than Matthew and Lauren Newton.
Matthew, 44, lives in New York after fleeing to America after a string of violent incidents.
His 40-year-old younger sister, meanwhile, remains in Melbourne, where she lives with her husband Matt Welsh and their six children, just around the corner from her parents’ Hawthorne East townhome.
Lauren has long said she couldn’t raise such a large family without the help of Bert and Patti – but now, due to illness and injury, it’s Lauren who’s been forced to step up for them, alone.
Lauren is desperately trying to get Matthew back to Australia before it’s too late.
(Getty)Woman’s Day understands she is pleading with Matthew to come home from New York, where he lives with wife Catherine Schneiderman, 28, to share the load of caring for their ailing folks.
“There is no love lost between Lauren and Matthew, and she’s never quite gotten over how his actions almost destroyed their parents,” says a source.
“But with six kids to manage, she has accepted that she needs him.”
We’re told Lauren “has barely spoken to her brother” since the disgraced former actor was accused of assaulting his exes Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor back in the 2000s.
Reclusive Matthew has been living under the radar in New York City.
(Getty)“Matthew suffers from mental health issues and Lauren is empathetic that a lot of his behaviour is due to that, but she’s still reluctant to have him around the kids. At this point, though, she might not have any choice.”
Bert, 82, hit the headlines earlier this year when it was revealed he’d had his leg amputated in a bid to “give him a few more years with the grandkids”.
Patti, 76, is strapped into a moon boot and using a knee scooter after breaking her ankle.
“As anyone with unwell parents knows, caring for them while also raising your own family can be very difficult, and Lauren is even more frustrated by the fact that she shouldn’t be doing this by herself. She wants Matthew to step up and help and has made that very clear to him.”
However, those close to Matthew, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side that is believed to be owned by his politico mother-in-law Jennifer Cunningham, say Lauren’s pleas will likely fall on deaf ears.
“Matthew swore years ago he would never return to Australia,” says a source.
“There is no love lost between him and his family, who he feels threw him under the bus by talking about his troubles publicly. In New York, he lives a life of relative anonymity. His parents have begged him to come back to Melbourne on several occasions and he’s refused. He’s unlikely to change his mind even with Bert and Patti’s health issues.”
Bert and Patti are said to be “devastated” that it’s turned out this way and that Matthew is no longer a part of their family.
(Credit: Instagram)An insider close to the Newtons say his determination to never see Bert and Patti again “breaks their hearts”.
“They love Matthew and are devastated it turned out this way,” says the source.
“Worst of all is they’re waiting for the moment that Matt and Cat start a family of their own. Patti fears she will soon have another grandchild who she and her husband will never meet.”
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