NEWTON FAMILY'S SECRET SORROW
Bert and Patti’s happiness is marked with sadness as they face a constant reminder of exiled son Matthew
He’s the apple of his mum’s eye but every time Lauren Newton gazes lovingly at Sam, she must feel torn given that he is a dead ringer for her beloved older brother Matthew, who fled Australia years ago.
“At times it does make Lauren sad to look at her own son and be reminded of Matthew, because she and Matthew were so close growing up they could almost have been twins,” reveals a family friend.
“Yet he’s probably never going to come home from New York where he went to try and put his disgraceful past behind him, and that distance and absence will always make Lauren feel sad because she misses him desperately.
“As a sister, she’s been embarrassed and shocked over the years thanks to Matthew’s exploits, but she will always love him, despite often being the one left in the middle helping support her parents when he’s suffered another disaster.”
Lauren, 40, who is married to former Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh, and has four other children younger than Sam, is constantly in touch with
Matthew, 42, who left Australia seven years after allegations that he violently attacked actresses Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor.
“They were as close as twins growing up, so she would never write him out of their lives, but the tragic thing is he cannot possibly live near them ever again,” says the friend.
‘The tragic thing is he cannot live near them again’
“The Newtons are not under any illusions, because Matt has screwed up too many times. Australia will not be kind or forgiving, and Matthew’s own lawyer and everyone close around him has advised him never to come home because of the continuing fallout from his past. It’s a family tragedy.”
Lauren, who friends say is shy, quiet and reserved, recognised the pitfalls of fame years ago, and turned her back on showbiz to focus on being a very hands-on mum to her five children – Sam, Eva, 10, Lola, seven, Monty, three, and 11-month-old Perla. Another family friend says there were signs Matthew had a dark side even when he was a child, and Bert regrets that he wasn’t around enough to help Patti because of his demanding showbiz career.
“Not that Matthew was ever violent with his own family, but he was very difficult as a child,” recalls their family friend, who says Lauren is lucky that Matt Welsh is a very hands-on dad and always shares the load.
LAUREN’S PAIN
“Matthew had great rages that erupted at times and they couldn’t easily discipline him. Patti tried, but she was doing it all on her own because Bert was less involved in the child rearing as he was too busy preparing for or doing his TV show, or recovering from it.” Fortunately, the uncanny physical resemblance between Sam and Matthew is the only thing they share in common with our source saying Sam is “much quieter” and that Lauren has limited any personal publicity of her family to ensure her kids have a normal childhood.
“As a shy person herself, Lauren always sensed Matthew’s agony at being thrust into the limelight and she misses him too much to allow the same thing to happen to her son or any of her children,” says the friend.
It’s the happy ending his friends have been dreaming of for years – a proud Keanu Reeves walking the red carpet hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, artist Alexandra Grant.
The fiercely private star, 55, whose past heartache has been well documented, couldn’t help but gaze tenderly at his brilliant love, 46, and friends say it’s the start of something really special.
“He’s absolutely completely in love,” says an old friend. “No one’s ever seen him like this, and the fact he’s so prepared to go public shows how serious he is about Alex. They’ve known each other for a decade, so this is rock solid.”
The couple first met at a dinner party in 2009 and ended up working together on two books. In 2017, they set up their own business publishing books and sources say things turned romantic towards the end of last year.
‘Alex has kind of saved him. They’re like soulmates’
Insiders tell Woman’s Day the pair have been “cohabiting for most of this year”, but it was Keanu’s old confidante Sandra Bullock who gave him the courage to take his romance public.
“Sandy knows they’re talking marriage and she’s been key in getting him to bring Alex into his world more officially, so he can propose,” adds the insider. “He was worried how she would handle being the limelight and is desperate to protect her.
“She’s been compared to Helen Mirren and everyone thinks she’s older, when in fact she’s nearly 10 years younger [than Keanu]. It’s hurting him more than her, but Alex is an artist and she’s far too intelligent to care what others think.”
As for Keanu, friends are so delighted he’s finally found happiness. He’s gone through two decades of heartache – in 1999 his daughter was stillborn and then two years later her mother, ex-girlfriend Jennifer Syme, died in a car crash.
“He’s been carrying this for too long and Alex really has kind of saved him,” adds the friend. “Getting him to write poetry was liberating for him and gave him the courage to face his demons. It’s amazing to see him like this.
“They’re like soulmates, finishing each other’s sentences and they have a whole narrative of private jokes, usually dark, that no one else can understand,” the insider says.