Peter Overton and his wife Jessica Rowe never miss a moment to gush over their two daughters, and the love definitely goes both ways!
Speaking to Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa, Peter revealed a tender moment he shared with his 15-year-old daughter Allegra while dropping her off to school.
“I walked in with her, but I made sure I walked about 789 metres behind her and her friend. But when we got to the school gate, she turned around and said ‘I love you Dad’ and gave me a real hug,” the Nine News journalist said.
“And that’s a 15 year old going into year nine. So last night I got home from work I said ‘that takes real character Allegra, in front of your friends at 15 to just say I love you dad and give me a hug and a kiss’. So that made my week.”
Last week, Jess told Now To Love about the anxiety of sending Allegra and her youngest daughter Giselle, 11, back to school after two years of on-and-off remote learning.
“What I’m excited about, and a little bit nervous too on their behalf, is getting them back into that school environment,” the mum-of-two shared.
“For so many kids it has been so difficult, they’ve adapted so much … but they’ve really missed that connection, and there’s nothing quite like learning in classroom face to face.”
From moving back into the classroom, to interacting with their peers and rebuilding friendships impacted by time apart, there’s lots to think about – especially given that this will be Giselle’s first year of high school.
“That’s a massive thing for her and for us. And I know she’s ready, but she is anxious, she’s got the butterflies,” Jess said.
From Giselle’s nerves at starting her senior education, to Allegra’s experiences as a growing teen, their mum is a big believer in conversation – even when her girls roll their eyes at it.
“I find that car – especially with teenagers – is a really good way to have a chat because you’re not making the eye contact,” she said.
“You can bring up something and they can keep [the conversation] going or they can not say anything. It’s important to give them space.
Jess and Peter first met when the former Today host was just 19 and doing university work experience at Channel 10. At the time, Peter was a sports reporter.
Years later, when Jess was an established journalist in her own right, the pair bumped into each other at the Logies and eventually got married in 2004.