Christmas looks a little different for Jules Robinson and Cam Merchant these days – and that’s just the way they like it!
“Last year we decorated a metre above the ground,” Jules jokes of needing to keep the Christmas tree decorations out of two-year-old son Ollie’s cheeky little hands.
Decking the halls of their home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is just one of the special traditions the couple have started since they met on Nine’s Married At First Sight in 2019.
“Cam created a gratitude jar when we first met and we put our gratitudes into it throughout the year. And then on Christmas Eve, we open them and read them,” says Jules, 40.
“We want to continue that with all our children in the future. It’s a lovely thing to instil in a kid – for them to have gratitude and also to make Christmas more than just about presents.”
‘We will do everything in our power to get pregnant.’
(Image: Will Horner)EXPANDING THE FAM
When it comes to gifts, there’s one thing on both of their wishlists – a little brother or sister for Ollie!
“I’m an only child. I had a great childhood but I’d have loved a sibling,” Cam, 38, tells Woman’s Day.
And Jules jokes that while she momentarily thought she may have been “one and done” during the family’s recent trip to Bali, she also dearly wants another child.
“We would love to have had an announcement, but it hasn’t happened. But if there’s a will, there’s a way!” says the reality star. “We’ll do everything in our power to have another baby. So, fingers crossed, we’ll have an announcement next year.”
Jules says the struggle to get pregnant again has been exacerbated by fans. “So many people write on my social media, ‘Time for a brother, time for a sister,’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve given it a good shot.'”
And while Jules says she knows all the baby buzz “comes from a place of love”, she confesses, “When you’re that person trying it just puts even more pressure on you.”
“It’s definitely a team effort,” Jules says of parenting.
(Image: Will Horner)IN THE BIZ
There’s been plenty of success for the couple in other areas, though. As well as ringing in their fourth wedding anniversary in November, Jules says she’s had “an amazing year careerwise”.
“To be featured in Forbes Australia was incredible,” admits the star, whose inclusive shapewear and fashion brands Figur by Jules and Moira Muse saw her win gold at the 2022 AusMumpreneur Awards.
“I’m just so proud of her,” gushes Cam, who’s been busy himself with his mental health advocacy work with Gotcha4Life and creating his new podcast Rock Bottom Was My Foundation, which will see him interview celebrities and business people about their “wins and losses”.
The couple are also preparing to open the doors to their new hair and beauty salon in Sydney, which will double as a cocktail bar and where they’ll give a nod to their history by running speed dating nights.
“We’re a big lover of love and we want everyone else to enjoy that,” says Jules, who still marvels at all that’s come the couple’s way since they took their own shot at romance on MAFS.
“It’s amazing that four years have passed and everything we’ve done since then,” says Jules, who looks forward to a “quiet” Christmas Day with Cam and Ollie poolside at the family’s second home on the Gold Coast.
Watch: Cam’s birthday tribute to Jules
