INSIDE TV’S MOST TOXIC MARRIAGE
Explosive new court documents paint Steve Jacobs as a jealous husband with a dark side in the lead-up to his split from second wife Rosie
It was January when neighbours of Steve and Rosie Jacobs in Vanuatu’s exclusive Dream Cove gated community realised just how horrible the once celebrated marriage of the famous weatherman and his wife had become.
And it was the charred remains of the mattress Steve, 51, had shared with Rosie, 39, left on the lawn of their beautiful beachfront house that acted as a constant reminder of a marriage ruined by his allegedly aggressive behaviour.
“I don’t know if Steve burnt it, but I do know Rosie didn’t,” explains one friend, who says the “toxic” breakdown of the marriage has been the talk of the ex-pat community on the honeymoon island in the South Pacific for weeks.
Explosive court documents obtained by Woman’s Day portray a very different man to the warm and cuddly weatherman fans came to know as “Stevie” during his 12-year career travelling around Australia and the world for Nine’s Today show.
In an application for a Family Protection Order presented by police to the Magistrates Court of the Republic of Vanuatu on January 23, Steve is alleged to have left an emotionally broken Rosie with no choice but to leave their home “due to his aggressive behaviour”.
The order restraining Steven Mark Jacobs was granted on January 25 and also gave Rosie temporary custody of their two daughters, Isabella, six, and Francesca, four.
When contacted last week, Rosie, who is a presenter on Sydney Weekender, declined to comment on the breakdown of her marriage or the police claims.
“These issues have been going on for the past two years,” reveals one close friend, who did not wish to be named.
“He’s changed passwords on her phone, stolen her diary and chased her down the street when they were living in Coogee. He controlled all the finances.”
The document alleges Rosie filmed a tense encounter with Steve during the handover of their kids on December 20. In a heated exchange, he says, “You’re poison.”
The fights in Vanuatu are not the only run-ins brought to the attention of police, with Steve’s disturbing behaviour allegedly starting long before she finally left him late last year.
Another close friend of the family revealed exclusively to Woman’s Day that Rosie reported his behaviour to NSW police at Bondi Junction in April 2016, seeking their advice after she left their Coogee home.
LAST-DITCH ATTEMPT
‘He’s changed passwords on her phone, stolen her diary’
“He came home from a trip and he started a huge fight before she ran away,” tells the friend, who says Rosie ultimately refused to proceed with the complaint against Steve after he promised to get professional help for his anger issues.
“This is a woman who would do anything for those girls of hers, and she put up with a lot to try and preserve that marriage for the kids. We all tried to convince her to leave.”
The couple sought the help of a marriage counsellor, and Steve attended angermanagement counselling, before they attempted one last time to save their relationship – by moving to Vanuatu at the end of 2016. Steve emotionally announced on the Today show that he was quitting his $400,000-a-year job as full-time weatherman to spend more time with his family.
This “last-ditch” attempt failed completely, with friends confirming last week that Rosie had not returned to their beach house since she left, due to what
is described in the Vanuatu AVO as his “aggressive behaviour”.
Friends say Rosie is trying to rebuild her life and plans to return to Australia with the children later this year, after the couple sell their $4.5 million Coogee home. She’s also met a “thoroughly decent man”, former Royal Marine Commando Dylan Nash, since separating from Steve.
“He’s the best thing that could have happened to Rosie,” says the friend. “She’s smiling again for the first time in a long time and she deserves all the happiness in the world.”
Last week, reports emerged of an altercation with Rosie’s new partner in a Vanuatu gym. Steve blames Dylan for his marriage breakdown.
Steve approached the buff Canadian at Ultimate Fitness last month, and the two “had an altercation”, which ended when the former soldier pointed out that Steve had lost his wife long before he started dating Rosie, according to media reports.
“She had to leave because she was sick of Steven’s behaviour, not because she was seeing someone else,” explains one friend. “To blame Dylan for the split is just plain wrong.
“He’s a really lovely man. I’m happy she’s finally found her soulmate.”