WE’LL RAISE MATT’S BABY
PATTI NEWTON'S VOW
Patti Newton couldn’t be happier as son Matthew counts down the days until he becomes a dad for the first time ever – in what she thinks will be his best role yet.
And Patti will help raise her newest grandchild just as she has done with daughter Lauren’s gorgeous kids.
“Having another grandchild would be heaven for Patti,” confides one of her closest friends. “She just adores her grandkids – they really are her world, apart from Bert, of course. She can’t wait to meet Matt’s baby.”
Matthew, who has made a new life for himself in New York, marked his 40th birthday earlier this year with a quiet celebration with fiancee Catherine Schneiderman, 24, who last week proudly showed off her growing bump. “Patti thinks the timing is perfect for Matt to be a dad,” our source says. “He has done a lot of thinking and reflection on his past mistakes, and he’s done a lot of work on himself. “Patti and Bert are sure he’ll nail this, that he’ll do the right thing. She says it will be his best role yet. “They adore Lauren’s children, and they could think of nothing better than cuddling Matt’s baby. They are the best grandparents you could wish for.” Patti, 72, has found a new lease on life being a hands-on grandmum to daughter Lauren’s four gorgeous children – Sam, nine, Eva, eight, Lola, five, and 17-month-old Bert lookalike Monty – and Matthew’s first bub will be a welcome addition. “She thinks the baby will be the making of Matt,” our source says. “Patti sees the baby as a stabilising influence – Matt has been very stable for several years
now – and thinks becoming a dad will finally help him put all that trouble and heartache behind him.”
Matthew fled Australia after a series of violent incidents, including against his former partners, actresses Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor, and a number of public meltdowns – which were later blamed on an undisclosed mental illness.
But since moving to New York five years ago and embracing a sober new life, the disgraced actor and director has totally reinvented himself, and last year proposed to Catherine with a diamond ring.
‘Patti thinks the baby will be the making of Matt’
“Patti has learnt not to put too much pressure on Matt and tries to hang back and be a quiet support, but she can’t hide how over the moon she is that he is finally going to be a dad,” our source says.
Bert, 78, is also loving life as a grandparent, and while his poor health will not allow him to travel to New York for the birth, he is equally thrilled that Matthew has settled down and started a family.
The much-loved TV star says his four grandchildren bring him and Patti untold joy, and friends say both the showbiz icons would do anything to protect their grandchildren and want to help Matthew with the baby.
“They wouldn’t realise it at the moment, but they have made this one of the happiest times of my life,” Bert said of his grandchildren in one recent interview.
Matthew has yet to officially confirm his baby news to his famous parents.
“I know Matt’s told his parents that he and Catherine are trying for a baby, but there have been a few false alarms, so Bert and Patti are happy to wait to celebrate until Matt shares the news with them,” our source says.
“I do know they’ve got their fingers crossed that this time it’ll all work out.”