Dr Harry Cooper's marriage breakdown

TV vet Dr Harry Cooper talks for the first time about the breakdown of his marriage to his second wife.

Veteran TV star Dr Harry Cooper’s welcoming smile hides the pain of ending his marriage and moving from his historic farmhouse in Tasmania to a modest block on NSW’s mid-north coast to start all over again.

One of Australia’s most loved and trusted celebrities, Dr Harry has quashed his heartache and turned to his other great love – campaigning for the welfare of animals. The grandfather of four celebrated his 68th birthday on February 20 at the small hobby farm he now calls home – with Scarlett, the faithful border collie who has been at his side for the past 14 years, and his beloved chooks.

Dr Harry says he is “happy” since his 26-year marriage to second wife Janine ended, embracing a simpler life with his animals, while continuing to star on Better Homes And Gardens. “We are separated now,” he confirms in an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day.

“You get to the stage of your life when you drift apart – and for the past five or six years we’ve probably been going like that – so I thought, ‘what’s the point?’, as she wanted to stay there [in Tasmania] and I didn’t.” A passionate animal lover who launched his TV career on Burke’s Backyard back in 1987, Dr Harry has been married to Janine since 1985 and they have one daughter, Heidi, now 25.