Daniel MacPherson has reinforced the importance of family amid reports he’s split with his partner of three years.
“Family is Everything,” the former Neighbours star wrote on Instagram, alongside a carousel of photos from his dad’s recent birthday celebration.
“Super special afternoon celebrating a milestone for Dad,” he continued in the caption. “He’s an incredible human and was great to share and listen to stories of the lives he’s impacted and the memories he’s made. Happy Birthday Macca.”
The post was accompanied with a carousel of photos of Daniel with family members, and came as reports emerged that the 46-year-old has quietly split from his girlfriend, influencer Jess Dover.
Jess was not pictured in any of the photos. According to the Advertiser, the Sydney-based actor and the Adelaide-based influencer went their seperate ways earlier this year.
The couple were first introduced by mutual friends in 2022, and in a 2024 interview with the Advertiser, the City Homicide star said Adelaide had become his “second home”.
“I’ve spent many years where work has taken me all around the world… so to be able to come back to Adelaide, where I’m obviously enjoying it and it’s a second home for me now, it’s fantastic,” he told the publication.
Daniel and Jess were last seen together in April this year when they attended the LA premiere of Beast. The pair have also unfollowed each other on social media.
News of the reported split has shocked acquaintances of the couple – with a source telling Woman’s Day “everyone thought Dan and Jess were in it for the long haul”.
“They seemed genuinely happy and very much in love. Jess had also become a big part of the McPherson family and had a particularly lovely relationship with Dan’s son, so it’s a real surprise to people who knew them,” the source went on.
However, it’s thought that Daniel’s career commitments may have been a factor in presenting challenges in the relationship.
“Dan’s work has always involved a lot of travel, and that kind of lifestyle can put pressure on any relationship,” the insider shares.
“Spending long periods apart and constantly juggling work commitments with a personal life isn’t easy, even when two people are very close.
“There didn’t appear to be any obvious signs that things were coming to an end,” the source went on. “Jess had become so closely woven into Dan’s life and family that many assumed the relationship was heading towards a long-term future.”
Before he met Jess, Daniel was married to fellow Australian actress Zoë Ventoura for five years. In 2018, they welcomed a son together who they named Austin Xavier.
While appearing on Jess Rowe’s podcast earlier this year, the Dancing with the Stars host opened up about how becoming a father has changed him.
“It opened up a depth of love and understanding that you didn’t know existed,” the star explained.
“I didn’t become a dad until I was 40 so it was later in the adventure. I’d come out of a time where I was the centre of my universe…”
Daniel explained he had been working on a HBO show at the time and work had been “very important” to him.
“All of a sudden, the universe goes ‘it’s not about you any more’. And you go ‘oh, wow’
“So that’s been the most beautiful gift, and where I’m grateful for Austin in many ways… Now every job gets measured against time with Austin. So the gift of fatherhood that I wasn’t expecting is the ability to say no, that I probably didn’t have…”
“Now, everything gets measured… otherwise I’d be happy at home hanging out with my son, teaching him to fish, picking him up from school, taking him to the shark park to watch the sharkies, you know,” the star continued.
“That’s the special stuff and I would love to have more children, and my beautiful partner Jess has got a six-year-old of her own so the boys are fantastic together.”
Describing parenthood as “amazing” and “an extraordinary gift”, the Wild Boys star said it had changed his life in unexpected ways.
“I’ve pretty much stopped drinking. I didn’t ever want to be hungover with my son. Especially co-parenting, you know, with Austin’s mum,” he added.
“I’m not with my son 24/7, but the time that I am with him, I don’t want to be anything other than clear and present and there with him.”
