Neale Whitaker reveals the emotional reason he’ll be absent from new season of The Block as newcomer Marty Fox takes the helm
Neale Whitaker has revealed the reason he decided to step away from the upcoming season of The Block.
The 61-year-old revealed he will be reducing his time as a judge to spend more time with his partner David, who has recently had some “serious health issues”.
Newcomer Marty Fox will replace Neale by joining Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer as a semi-regular judge.
“I am very proud to complete my 17th season as a judge on The Block. “It is an incredible privilege to be a part of this legendary show for 13 years,” he wrote on Instagram.
“However, for the 2023 season, I have put family first and reduced my time as a judge. My partner of 20, David, had serious health issues earlier this year and my priority was to spend more time at home.”
Neale Whitaker reveals the emotional reason he’ll be absent from new season of The Block as newcomer Marty Fox takes the helm
“But I’m pleased to report that real estate guru Marty Fox was able to bring his expertise to The Block and guide Shaynna and Darren through the weeks that I couldn’t be there.”
“Best news of all is that David is making a great recovery and I look forward to returning full-time to The Block for the show’s 20th anniversary season in 2024.”
Marty is the Managing Director of WHITEFOX Real Estate.
At the age of 21 he started his career as a real estate agent before founding his own agency.
Fans may remember the slick businessman from the show’s 2020 season when he sold Harry and Tash Pavlou’s stunning home.
The upcoming season of The Block will be filmed in Hampton East, a Bayside suburb of Melbourne just 9 miles from the CBD.
The 61-year-old revealed he will be cutting back on his time as a judge to spend more time with his partner David, who has recently had some “serious health issues”.
Judge Shaynna recently revealed what people get wrong when renovating their own homes.
Speaking to The Australian in May, she said everyone is turning to social media for inspiration and “soulless” their home by following the “cookie cutter” design trend.
“We’ve been in this Instagram and Pinterest world for so long that people just completely copy and paste what someone else did,” Shaynna told the publication.
“There’s a lack of soul in a lot of things that people put out, and they’re over-saturated with vanilla, and people just sugarcoat their homes and their lives.”
She added, “Renovation costs a lot of money and they don’t want to go wrong, but people care too much about what other people think and this is where the cookie cutter becomes a safety net.”
Newcomer Marty Fox will replace Neale by joining Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer as a semi-regular judge