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It’s been a decade since Luke Jacobz went through “the worst year of his life”.
The beloved Australian actor – known for his roles in Home and Away, Heartbreak High and McLeod’s Daughters – lost his father, John, to brain cancer in 2015 and it changed his world irrevocably.
“I’ve never felt such loss and sadness to see someone I loved so much, slowly slip away and be lost forever,” Luke reflected in a 2019 post about the terrible year.
“The love and support he had was incredible – but it was the cancer that destroyed my world.”
Just over 10 years on, the impact of the family tragedy remains – and yet today Luke has turned his heartbreak into positive action for the sake of his two young children.
The star and his wife Raychel welcomed a baby boy, John James Scott in November 2025, and the couple are also proud parents to a two-year-old daughter, Maisie.
“As a father of two, my biggest fear is not being able to meet my grandchildren the way my dad didn’t get to meet my children,” Luke tells Woman’s Day candidly.
It’s a fear that has spurred Luke on to take part in a huge challenge – the Tour De Cure Signature Tour, a gruelling 1,400km bike ride from Canberra to Hobart that raises vital funds for cancer research, prevention programs and support projects.
Luke chats to Woman’s Day on Day Five of the tour, as he prepares to tackle the 116km Geelong loop via Torquay, before travelling overnight on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to Devonport.
“Watching my dad go through diagnosis, surgery and radiation was really hard without knowing what the outcome would be,” Luke says.
“So, I want to do what I can to try and improve the process for anyone else going through it.”
Poignantly, baby John was named after Luke’s dad, and Raychel’s own father – who also died from cancer.
“Named after the men who helped shape both our lives so their legacy can live on,” Luke shared in an emotional post after John’s birth.
“He will carry the legacy of the great men he is named after.”
Luke tells Woman’s Day that to be involved with the Tour de Cure gives him “belief and hope” that one day a cure for cancer will be found.
“I am privileged in playing a part in continuing to fund this research, so cancer can become a survivable disease,” he says, adding that he’s “excited” that Tour de Cure has already been responsible for funding more than 238 cancer breakthroughs.
And it was another former Channel 7 star who was responsible for getting Luke to take on the cycling challenge in the first place – former Sunrise sports presenter Mark Beretta who lost his own father, David, to cancer in September 2025.
“It’s very hard to say no to Beretts,” Luke quipped in an interview with The Morning Show earlier this year. “He’s such a passionate man and to have someone like him leading the pack and getting us involved it’s wonderful.”
If you’re keen to help Luke raise funds for cancer research in memory of his father, you can donate here.
