He’s the tall, handsome man who brings all the news to Australia, but behind the scenes Peter Overton has fought tough battles to shield his wife, TV star Jessica Rowe.
He even offered to quit his dream job at the network when Jess was sacked from her co-hosting role on Today, just three years after they were married in Sydney in January 2004.
“I was ready to quit Channel Nine because I was so upset at the way you were treated,” he revealed on Jess’ Big Talk Show podcast, adding that his wife talked him out of resigning in protest.
Peter Overton has fought tough battles to shield his wife, TV star Jessica Rowe.
(Image: Instagram)Peter, 55, also revealed the network secretly approached him the previous year to sound him out about replacing Karl Stefanovic and joining his wife on Today – a move he quickly knocked on the head, realising it could ruin their careers and more importantly their marriage.
Jess, 51, says Peter, or “Petee” as she lovingly calls him, is the “yin to my yang”. She admits she couldn’t live life without him, and is grateful for the unwavering support he gives her and their two daughters, Allegra, 15, and Giselle, 12.
“Thank you for always having my back, embracing my quirky ways and being my partner in life!” she posted in a glowing tribute to her husband on Instagram on their wedding anniversary.
Friends say Peter’s sense of decency and his devotion to his family inspires them all.
Even shock jock Kyle Sandilands seems impressed with their enduring love affair. “He’s so in love with you,” Kyle told Jess.
He’s just one of many mates who are in awe of Jess and Peter’s rock-solid relationship after 18 years of marriage.
“TV can be brutal on relationships, but Peter always puts Jess and the girls first.
“He could be having a difficult day on the desk and relaying all the horrors of the day, but his face lights up when Jess calls,” one Nine colleague shared.
“And he’s always in a rush to get home and see his girls – it’s so sweet.”
WATCH: Jess Rowe returns to Today 13 years after her departure. Story continues after video.
Jess says she made the best decision of her life when she chose to marry her “darling man”, who helped her recover from her brutal sacking at Nine.
She soon realised that no matter what life threw their way, she and Pete would get through it together.
What many people didn’t know at the time was that Jess was suffering postnatal depression after the birth of their IVF “miracle” child Allegra after two years of trying to fall pregnant.
Jess, who was a fan favourite on Studio 10 until she left in 2018 to spend more time with her family, says she only started to heal after she told Peter.
Peter’s three beautiful girls; Jess and their daughters Allegra (L) and Giselle (C).
(Image: Instagram)“Being the beautiful man that he is, he took me in his arms and he told me it was going to be OK.
“He validated what I was feeling,” she said.
With her Big Talk podcast booming, the former breakfast TV host and Diary Of A Crap Housewife author, who recently moved into a new $11 million home with Peter and the girls, still thanks her lucky stars she fell for the newsreader.
“My heart is full – what a lucky woman am I,” she says.
