Perfect Match co-host Debbie Newsome still has her beautiful long blonde hair and super-fit bikini body, but she’s got a new name – “Nanna” – and she couldn’t be happier as she celebrates her 60th birthday.
“I will sing to him all the time,” smiles Deb, who was over the moon when her reality star daughter Tara Pavlovic gave birth to a bouncing boy named Paddy just four days after her milestone birthday.
“Tara will be the best mum ever, and I’m going to be a good nanna!”
The arrival of little Paddy brought much joy to Deb, who had to miss The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise star Tara’s Queensland wedding to Nick Shepherdson last September due to border closures.
“I didn’t make it to Tara’s wedding because of COVID,” she says.
“We were just 40 minutes away over the border, and couldn’t get there. It was heartbreaking. I bought the best mother-of-the-bride dress because Tara wanted us all to dress up. It was like a Logies dress!”
Tara married her husband Nick Shepherdson without her mum due to border closures.
(Instagram)Livestream wedding
She may have missed her moment to share in the joy in person, but Deb and her husband, electrician Mark Learmonth, 63, together with her son Troy, were still able to witness Tara’s special day with a livestream of the wedding.
“Tara was really upset but she couldn’t put it off because it had already been postponed a few times because of COVID,” says Deb.
“We did get to watch it, and we caught up with Tara and Nick two days after the wedding when they could get over the border.”
Tara has now had a gorgeous baby boy, named Paddy.
(Instagram)Deb has yet to wear the slinky navy blue number, and while she laments missing out on Tara’s intimate wedding, she can’t wait to meet little Paddy, and has been getting daily photos from her daughter to share in the joy.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting him, but Tara keeps sending beautiful photos,” she says.
“She’s so in love and he’s a really good baby. I chose to be called Nanna because I think grandma sounds too old. I embrace my age but I certainly don’t feel 60 or like a grandmother. To be honest I can’t believe I made it to 60!”
Deb is still madly in love with her real-life perfect match Mark, who spoiled the birthday girl with a seafood dinner, flowers and a romantic holiday on the NSW Central Coast where they live.
“It was love at first sight for both of us when we met 22 years ago,” she says.
Debbie and Tara on the cover of Woman’s Day in 1990.
(Woman’s Day)“He’s a wonderful man who’s been a great stepfather to Tara and my son Troy, so I’ve been very lucky. We’re still really in love and grateful we’re quite fit and healthy.”
And, of course, Deb was inundated with birthday wishes, including one from her Perfect Match co-host-turned-marriage celebrant Greg Evans, who has been a great friend since they met on the show in 1984. He even officiated their wedding on Sydney Harbour in November 2010!
“We’re still really close and yes, Greg was on the phone first thing, saying, ‘Happy Birthday Grandma!'” she laughs, adding that he made a point of saying she looked far too young to be 60.
Not that growing older worries Deb in the slightest. “You have to embrace your age and the time you have left, doing really nice things and enjoying every day with your family,” she says.
“I don’t feel that old. I don’t feel 60. I feel younger than that. But when I look in the mirror some mornings, I think, yes you really are 60! It’s just a number, and you know what, I want to make it to 90 now.”
The former TV host says she has started working out more to stay in shape, including “doing weights for my arms and Pilates and those awful squats”, on top of taking vitamin supplements and eating fresh, healthy home-cooked meals.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it, and Mark is very fit too, so I’ve got to keep up,” she jokes.
