A few House Rules teams this year have had to deal with being away from their children. But for dance teachers Pete and Courtney – who’ve left their one-year-old son Casper at home – it’s been particularly tough.
“It’s been the hardest part of the entire journey,” Courtney, 31, tells TV WEEK. “There are days where it’s like, ‘Oh, God – it’s too hard.’
“We’ve missed a lot. He started walking and he’s talking a lot. We’ve missed all of that. We know we’re doing this for him and the future, but there are days where it’s really tough.”
The only way Pete copes with being away from Casper, he says, is by getting “in the zone”.
“When I’m in reno mode, I try to stay in reno mode,” Pete, 32, explains. “Courtney loves getting photos of him, as it spurs her on, but I feel I’m better off not seeing them.”
With one of the biggest houses the show has ever seen, it begs the question: are Pete and Courtney hoping to add to their brood?
“We have a pretty big house, so we need to fill it up!” Pete says with a laugh, while Courtney adds, “I’m definitely open to having more [children]. Pete wants 10!”
House Rules airs Sunday, 7pm, and Monday to Wednesday, 7:30pm, on Channel Seven.