When Cam Merchant and Jules Robinson met and married on MAFS 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 has been an incredible journey for Jules, 42, and Cam, 40, who can’t help but break into huge smiles as they watch three-year-old Ollie kiss and cuddle his baby brother.
“The highlight for me has been watching Ollie become a brother. On the day I became a mother of two, he became a brother and that’s been beautiful to watch,” Jules tells Woman’s Day.
MIRACLE BABY
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.
“I think when you go into the intricate detail of what it takes to bring a little human into the world that every child is a miracle,” he says, adding 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, but Cam and Jules have crammed so much more into the last six months, starting
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 and we make it work somehow,” explains Jules, who is the host of a unique new makeover show called Renovate Me Please.
Beauty and style queen Jules joins forces with Cam, who is now a mental health advocate, and last year’s winners of The Block, Steph and Gian Ottavio, to renovate someone’s look, wardrobe, confidence and home.
“It’s very from the inside out,” Jules says. “The great thing about this concept is that as the viewer you can take value and be like, I can do those little changes to myself and make a difference in my life, and I think the public will enjoy that.”
When the show – that 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 because she felt the “whole nation fell in love” with the humble bachelor, who didn’t end up with his TV bride Cassandra Allen, but endeared himself to fans.
“This is new for us and we’re just giving it our best and being ourselves and sharing positivity in the world,” she says, before bursting out laughing when asked if Renovate Me Please could end up competing with MAFS or The Block.
“We’d like to think this show is more about spreading joy.”
Little Carter has certainly brought the celebrity couple much joy since arriving, although Jules, who shared much of her pregnancy journey on social media with her 750,000 followers, says it hasn’t all
been smooth sailing.
“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, who she calls her “amazing rock”, also admits “not every day is rainbows and unicorns”, revealing they were considering IVF when Jules fell pregnant naturally with Carter.
“We’re so blessed, so grateful. 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,” he says.
