Victoria’s Bradley McLennan signed on for House Rules as a way to finally give back to his mother Lenore McDermid, after she single-handedly raised him and his siblings.
And during an emotional scene that saw Bradley, 31, and Lenore, 55, hand over the keys to their family home, teary host Jamie Durie realised just how much his childhood mirrored Bradley’s.
“I’ve never cried so much in my whole entire life,” Bradley tells Woman’s Day of the onscreen moment.
“Handing over the keys, to virtually a new home, it’s something you can never imagine doing for your mum.”
Touching moment
While Bradley’s emotional speech caused “spa-fulls of tears” to be shed among the contestants, it was host Jamie who was hit the hardest.
“Jamie pulled me to the side and said how he understood the bond I have with my mother because he had a similar upbringing,” says Bradley.
“We hugged it out. It was very, very special.”
From thereon, the duo forged a strong bond, with Bradley calling 49-year-old Jamie the most “down-to-earth and caring human” he’s ever met.
The landscape gardener has always been vocal about praising his mother Joy, who raised him and his older brother Chris on her own after she split from their father Dave when Jamie was just 10.
“Mum and I have always been close and [after my parents split] we moved to the Gold Coast to be closer to my maternal grandparents. That was a nice period in my life,” says Jamie.
Not only did Jamie inherit his green thumb from his mother, but he credits her for his flourishing career in landscape and design.
“My love of gardening comes from Mum. [When we lived at] Tom Price [in WA], she somehow managed to grow red roses in that dusty red outback dirt.
“While I didn’t explore gardening until later in life, my decision to do so came from those early days. Mum planted the seed,” Jamie reveals.
“I owe a lot to her for my career.”
WATCH BELOW: House Rules contestants Dave and Tanya see their stunning home transformation. Story continues…
Dave & Tanya: ‘We’re suing!’
They’ve been portrayed as the feisty villains of the show, but a source tells Woman’s Day that WA contestants Tanya and Dave Dawes are fighting back over what they claim is an “unfair edit”.
“They’re really unhappy with the way they’ve been portrayed,” says a show insider.
“They were painted as the villains from fairly early on, and are angry because they feel like they’re being misrepresented.”
The source reveals the duo, who “are more than a little disgruntled”, are currently weighing up their legal options.
Dave’s Bachelor past revealed!
While he’s found nationwide fame on House Rules, Dave, 36, is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2010 he was a finalist in Cleo’s Bachelor of the Year Award.
Favourite Dave was up against some big names including Curtis Stone and Firass Dirani, however, a questionable answer in his “about me” profile raised eyebrows.
When asked how his dating ad would read, Dave said, “Male, 26, seeks same-age female for fun, discreet times.”
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