WIGGLE’S FAMILY JOY
Kate Ritchie and her estranged husband Stuart Webb are said to be working on patching up their troubled marriage in a bid to support each other through these uncertain times.
“Since seeing each other for the first time in a while at Mae’s first day of school, they’ve been in contact more and things have just evolved from there,” a friend tells New Idea. “They’ve been meeting up to work through things, and made great progress so far.”
The couple have also been attending counselling sessions.
“Stuart has been trying to show Kate that he’s a changed man and is serious about getting his life in order,” the friend says. “He knows this is his last chance.”
It seems things are going so well for the pair, they’ve even been discussing Kate moving back into their marital home, with talks of a permanent reunion. “Where they are living at the moment was only meant to be temporary, it’s far too small for Kate and Mae to stay during the lockdown, especially when Kate has to broadcast and Mae is being homeschooled,” a friend explains.
Because of coronavirus restrictions, it makes sense that Stuart is around to help with Mae, so moving back in together is a logical solution.
“Kate’s juggling a busy work schedule as well as home-schooling Mae who only started kindy this year, so it’s very demanding,” the source says.
“Kate needs Stuart’s support during this time; she can’t do it all on her own. At the end of the day, Mae is her number one priority, and she needs both of her parents around during this time.”
Kate moved out of their family home in the Sydney suburb of Randwick in October, after police applied for an AVO against Stuart on her behalf. Since then, the Nova radio star has been living in the granny flat of a $4.4 million property owned by one of her Home and Away friends.
In January, former NRL star Stuart was placed on a two-year conditional release order after pleading guilty to driving while suspended. This follows Stuart facing court last year charged with drink driving after he was pulled over in March for allegedly running a red light.
While friends say the recent turn of events is a “blessing in disguise” for the couple, Kate’s family are said to have serious concerns.
“They thought that Kate had finally made a break from Stu, and now it seems a case of one step forward, two steps back,” a source says.