Absence makes the heart grow fonder isn’t just a throwaway line in Edwina Bartholomew’s home. The news presenter is the living embodiment of it, bravely revealing that she and husband Neil Varcoe have taken the leap and decided to live apart.
“My husband lives three hours away, and it’s fantastic,” says Eddy in a revealing Stellar chat. “We are not just talking about separate bedrooms here, but separate houses in entirely different postcodes. “We are a drive-in, drive-out family and, surprisingly, it really works.”
The couple made the “crazy” decision to live apart after selling their Sydney home and buying up a crumbling 177-year-old pub in Carcoar, Central NSW, with the aim of transforming it into a boutique hotel.
Eddy, 40, spends weekdays in Sydney on Sunrise and handles mum duties with the couple’s kids Molly, four, and Thomas, two, while Neil is managing the build.
“My husband lives in the country with the dog, and I live in the city with the kids. Each weekend, we traipse back and forth between the two or meet somewhere in the middle, Cameron Diaz-style,” Eddy quipped, referring to Cameron revealing that she and husband Benji Madden have separate bedrooms in their home.
“It feels like a Love Actually airport reunion every time we come together, with a slow-motion embrace and those newlywed feels.”
QUALITY TIME TOGETHER
The pros have been learning to “pick their battles” – no more fighting over who puts the bins out – meaning their time spent together is far more precious.
“When we are together, we are fully committed to 48 hours of quality couple time and when we are apart, we are better communicators, too.”
And while Eddy has revealed the upside of their exciting and “chaotic” new living situation, Neil, 41, who also battles chronic fatigue syndrome, has been honest about the downsides too, sharing it can be really tough for him.
“This year hasn’t been easy – relocating to Carcoar, away from my family… starting a new business and forging a career outside the corporate world I’ve known my entire working life,” he wrote on Instagram of the build, which they aim to finish by autumn 2025. “At times, I’ve wanted to pack up and head home – get another job in media or tech and let the dream fade.
“Then I think about why I am doing it. It’s for them. It’s always been about them.
“We’re not just building a family business. We’re making a life for ourselves and our children. What more remarkable thing is there?”
And while the weeks might feel long, it’s not forever. “Eventually, he will move back in. Not to my bedroom – that sleep ship has sailed – but back into the family home,” says Eddy. “And when he does, I look forward to texting him from the room next door, reminding him it’s his turn to take out the bins.”
