When Matthew Newton married the woman of his dreams Catherine Schneiderman in 2017, it’s fair to say his family, especially mother Patti Newton, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After years of worrying about her troubled son, who has made headlines for a string of arrests amid addiction and mental health struggles, it seemed like he might finally have found happiness.
MARRIAGE OVER
But according to sources close to the Newton family Patti, 79, has found herself dealing with a fresh Matt emergency amid the shocking news his marriage to 31-year-old Catherine is over and Matt, 47, has returned to New York from Texas where the couple were recently living.
“It has been a rough couple of years trying to get pregnant and also dealing with the loss of his father,” a source confirms to Woman’s Day. “Matty has had some huge obstacles thrown at him over the last 24 months and the stress simply took its toll on their relationship.”
According to the family friend, a desperate Matthew reached out to the beloved entertainer asking for help to secure a place to live in New York a couple of weeks ago – and Patti dropped everything to help her boy.
“Of course, Patti was hopeful her son had found a lifelong partner in Catherine and she has been supportive from afar. She was heartbroken to hear that things haven’t worked out and she’s even considering jumping on a plane to the States. She’s looked at flights and is on standby. She never stops worrying about Matthew,” adds the source.
“The news the two had separated recently has been hard to process but Matthew seems hopeful about making some changes in his life and is looking to move forward. This hasn’t been an easy decision for either of them.”
NO HAPPY EVER AFTER
Matt has largely stayed out of the spotlight since leaving Australia in 2012. He met Cat, who is the daughter of former New York Attorney-General Eric Schneiderman, in New York before the pair tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in 2017 at Catherine’s mother’s home in New York.
But rumours of a split first started circulating a month or so ago when Catherine was seen without her rings and then shared a cryptic post of a man with her name tattooed on his arm, which was thought not to be Matthew.
“Cat and Matthew had looked for a fresh start in Texas a few years back, but sadly it didn’t help. It is slightly worrying for Patti to see Matthew back in New York where the lifestyle is a little more fast-paced,” says the source.
“I think Patti felt like this could be the time for Matt to come home and start over in Australia, but Matthew has no interest in returning home. He didn’t feel able to return for his father’s funeral, and it’s unlikely he ever will.
“He has a pretty good support network in the States though,” adds the source.
“The distance between his immediate family still feels like a big personal choice, which makes things difficult for everyone, especially Patti, who wishes he would come home now more than ever.”
