Before landing a spot on Australian Survivor, Jacqui and her husband Gary had booked a six-week European holiday. And then they got some awful news.
“Gary was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” Jacqui, 50, tells TV WEEK.
“He’d gone in for a check-up and the doctors said, ‘Oh, actually, while you’re here, you’ve got prostate cancer.’”
The pair cancelled their trip immediately and went into organisation mode as they waited to hear the prognosis for Gary’s treatment.
And then they got some other major news: Jacqui had been accepted to take part in Australian Survivor.
Jacqui and Gary are optimistic about his prognosis.
For the fitness nut, it’s a dream come true.
But the downside is she’s had to leave Gary alone at home to have surgery.
And Jacqui is in the dark as to how his health is progressing.
“We don’t know how bad it is,” the marriage celebrant from Lennox Head on the NSW north coast admits.
While Jacqui is in Samoa, her husband is having life-saving cancer surgery.
Jacqui says both she and Gary have chosen to believe his recovery will be swift.
“I said, ‘Look, unless you are going to die, don’t ring me,’” she says. “I’m sure it’s going to be fine and he’s feeling fine.”
For now, she’s focusing on winning the game – and rebooking that holiday.
“I said to him, ‘Europe will always be there, but you won’t be. So I’ll go and try to win half a million bucks and we’ll have a cracking holiday,’” she smiles.
