Marty Fox jokes he’ll be at Big W “for the next five days”, thanks to the toys he had to bribe his adorable kids – Freddy, 7, Olive, 5, and Bonnie, 2 – with to get them to pose perfectly for Woman’s Day‘s photographer.
As far as the stunning natural light pouring into the family’s Melbourne home? Well, the White Fox real estate owner says they just “lucked out” with that.
The real estate agent is happy to be on the judging panel. (Image: Phillip Castleton)
The Block‘s newest judge and his high school sweetheart Charlotte, 36, married for nearly 12 years, have just finished renovating their million-dollar period property in the leafy suburb of Toorak.
“We’re pretty much in line with The Block – we try and get them done within three months,” says Marty of the serial renovators, who have flipped an amazing 15 houses.
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“We can really appreciate what these contestants have gone through. But they have cameras on them, while our minor heated discussions aren’t shown to the entire Australian public,” he jokes.
The real estate whiz introduces us to his family. (Image: Phillip Castleton)
Marty says he had big shoes to fill replacing interior designer Neale Whitaker, 62, this season.
“Neale’s such a cool customer, at the top of his game. I knew I had to be on point,” says Marty, who reveals host Scotty Cam gave him some hints before filming.
Marty and Charlotte are just the cutest high school sweethearts! (Image: Phillip Castleton)
“I pulled him aside before my very first scene, I said, ‘Scotty, can you give me some advice, mate? You’ve done it for so long.’
“And he said, ‘How old are you?’ And I said, ‘I’m 35, Scotty.’ And he said, ‘Well mate, you’ve been practising for 35 years.’
“And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he said, ‘Just be Marty Fox.'”
The family look picture-perfect playing and spending time together. (Image: Phillip Castleton)
The real estate expert says his co-judges Darren Palmer, 46, and Shaynna Blaze, 61, have been just as supportive.
While Marty shares Shaynna was the “mother hen” of the set, “Darren’s sense of humour was phenomenal. Always laughing, always cracking a few jokes.”
But when it comes to their judging roles, the trio take it very seriously.
“I don’t sugarcoat it.” (Image: Phillip Castleton)
“I am firm but fair, I don’t sugarcoat it,” says Marty, who admits it’s been tricky juggling his new gig on The Block with his real estate business and raising his young family.
“There was one week where I flew in from New Zealand, filmed, and went straight back to the airport and flew back into Queenstown. That was a really full-on moment, but it was also something I thoroughly enjoyed. And I was so grateful to be asked to be a part of it that it didn’t take my energy. It actually gave me energy!”
In fact, he’s been such a fan of the process that he’s returning in a full-time capacity for season 20.
Marty is back on The Block in a full-time capacity for season 20 (Image: Phillip Castleton)
This season, Marty Fox joins Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer for the all-important weekly room judging.
