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He’s the Aussie star who shot to fame on Neighbours before transforming into an actor of international acclaim, but now Daniel MacPherson has a very personal wish: he wants to be a dad again.
The former Dancing with the Stars host sat down with Jessica Rowe for a candid chat on a June edition of her podcast The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, and in doing so he shared rare details of one of his “most challenging times”.
Daniel, 46, has just stepped into his toughest role yet – starring as Patton “The Beast” James, a former MMA champion who is forced back into the cage because his brother is in danger.
Talking of the challenges faced by his character in the action film – which was co-written by Russell Crowe – led Daniel to reflect on how his “personal challenging time was either side of 40”.
“I was in my late 30s, I’d been working, I’d been travelling, I’d lived around the world but I felt like that was where I really let go of boyhood – and that sounds quite late in life for a lot of people – but for me, I felt a distinct shift in who I was, where I was and what I wanted,” the actor shared. “And that probably came after a lot of years on the road.”
Daniel specifically described the period between the ages of 38 to 42 as being a time when he faced some of his most challenging moments.
Certainly, the star went through a turbulent time in the year he turned 40. Daniel welcomed a son, Austin, in December 2019 with his then-wife actress Zoe Ventoura, but just a year later the couple announced they had split after five years of marriage.
“With the greatest respect for each other, Zoe and I have separated,” Daniel wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Together, we will continue wholeheartedly to raise our beautiful boy Austin. He is, and will forever be, our greatest priority.”
Six years on, Daniel is in a new relationship with model and former House Rules personality Jessica Dover.
The duo – who both have sons with their ex partners – met through friends in around 2022 and they confirmed their romance in April 2023.
Now, in his podcast interview with Jess Rowe, Daniel explained 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 how his acting commitments at the time – on the “testosterone fuelled” HBO/Cinemax action and military thriller Strike Back – meant he was “firmly in the centre” of his world.
Daniel admitted that at the time he felt “very important” working on the HBO show for nine months of the year – and then his little boy came along.
“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 star said it had “enriched every area of his life” – and brought big change along the way.
“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.”
