As Woman’s Day sits down with The Block winners Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie inside their beautiful home in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, it’s one of the first moments they’ve had to reflect on their year.
“We haven’t had time to catch our breath,” Mitch, 59, says.
“It’s been such a crazy ride. To say that we’ve won The Block is still strange,” his partner of 18 years Mitch, 60, adds.
The much-loved couple took home an incredible $744,444 last month after selling their cottage-style house for more than $4 million in Melbourne’s Hampton Court – but it’s the accompanying fame that’s surprised them the most.
Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie have vowed to return to our TV screens.
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“We’ve really been taken aback by it all. It’s been insane the support we’ve had. And it’s not just the mums!” Mitch adds.
“We were at an event the other day and a Wiggle was there, and yet the kids wanted a photo with us! I was like, ‘There’s the Red Wiggle over there – don’t you want a photo with him?'” he laughs.
Mark says he’s happy knowing that “kids are seeing a gay couple on mainstream TV that are strong role models for relationships” and even tells of a time Mitch was stopped in the middle of the road by a young man who explained how he had helped him come out to his parents.
“It’s that stuff that really makes this all worth it,” he says.
While they’re still coming to terms with their new celebrity status, the Sydney-based couple are certainly not shying away from any of the opportunities thrown their way.
Since the series ended, the duo have started their own podcast, Reality Reno With Mitch And Mark, revamped their homewares brand, Mitch and Mark Home – which is also getting its own flagship store not far from their home – and Mitch is readying his own clothing range of shirts, “for fabulous women or very brave men”.
“We really do owe it all to The Block. The show has been a real gift,” says Mark. But that’s not to say they haven’t worked hard.
“I think some people who do The Block, they finish and think, ‘OK, things will happen now,’ but you have to go after it. We were never going to sit back and wait,” he says.
The boys began their careers in completely different fields, with Mark working as a psychologist and Mitch in marketing for Australian Pork, until one evening in 2018, “after a couple of beers”, Mitch forced them to apply for The Block.
“I’d had a little bit too much to drink and I saw that entries were closing, so I thought, ‘Why don’t we just apply?’
“We just did this five minute video, looking like sh*t, and sent it off with literally seconds to spare,” says Mitch.
Mark adds, “It was the year we decided to just say yes to everything,” and while they were happy in their jobs, they now believe they’re doing what they’re meant to be doing – and encourage others to do the same, no matter their age.
“We were from a generation where you usually just stay with one career. But it’s never too late to start again. The Block really has shown us you can do anything if you want.”
“And look at us, we’re the oldest contestants to ever be on The Block. It’s never too late to restart,” Mitch adds.
Would they ever do The Block again? The answer is immediate. “In a heartbeat,” Mark says. “We keep saying to Scotty Cam that we’re just going to turn up.
“Even if we don’t compete, we’d love to be involved somehow. Even if it’s instead of the hipages lever, they pull the Mitch and Mark lever and we just pop up,” Mitch laughs.
