MATTHEW’S SECRET NEW YORK WEDDING (...& why the Newtons didn’t go!)
Celebrity news Bert and Patti’s son makes it official as he prepares to become a dad
After a troubled past and a very public downfall, Matthew Newton has finally found his happily ever after – secretly tying the knot with his US fiancee Catherine Schneiderman ahead of the birth of their first child later this year.
Son of much-loved television personalities Bert and Patti Newton, 40-year-old Matthew is believed to have exchanged vows with 24-year-old Catherine in a low-key civil ceremony at New York City Hall, which neither of their families attended.
Catherine was first spotted wearing a diamond engagement ring last September – and last week both she and Matthew were seen wearing matching wedding bands, seemingly confirming their happy news.
Despite missing Matthew’s big day, Patti, 72, and Bert, 79, are said to be over the moon – and friends close to the family say the couple believe the wedding is the much-needed final step in their son’s road to a full recovery.
Matthew’s concerned parents were distanced from their son for some time after a series of serious domestic abuse incidents resulted in him being convicted of assault in 2007. The conviction was later overturned.
“Patti and Bert talk to Matt every day now,” our source reveals. “They’ve regained the closeness they lost for a time there when he left Australia and moved to New York. Patti is even bossing him around like she used to do, that’s just the sort of mum she is.
“It’s great that they have that closeness back again.”
Over the past few years, the Aussie star has well and truly turned his life around.
In April, Matthew – who has reignited his film career after stepping behind the camera to direct – revealed he hadn’t touched alcohol in five years.
At the time, a friend also hinted Matt was ready to walk down the aisle, saying, “He and Cat have been engaged for nearly a year and he thinks the time is right to push ahead with the wedding.”
It’s thought the news of Catherine’s pregnancy was the driving force behind the couple’s decision to finally make things official. But with the public attention surrounding the Newton clan Down Under, it’s not surprising Matthew, who has largely kept out of the public eye since relocating to the US, wanted to keep the wedding understated.
His nuptials were a far cry from Bert and Patti’s extravagant big day in 1974. Similarly, Matthew’s sister Lauren married swimmer Matt Welsh in a star-studded event that was declared the celebrity wedding of the year in Australia in 2006.
Despite his decision to keep his marriage a low-key affair, with news of both a baby and a wedding, it seems 2017 will mark a new chapter for Matthew.
And as he and Catherine await the birth of their baby, he has the full support of Bert and Patti, who have vowed to be as involved as possible in the life of their new grandchild.
‘Patti talks to Matt every day... they have that closeness back’