His wife announced her surprise departure from Studio 10 on Friday.
And speaking as ‘a husband and father’, Channel Nine news anchor Peter Overton showered Jessica Rowe with praise in a statement released to Twitter.
The 51-year-old valiantly defended Jessica’s shock decision to quit the daily talk show to spend more time with their two daughters Allegra, 11, and Giselle, eight.
Family ties: Channel Nine news anchor Peter Overton showered wife Jessica Rowe with praise on Friday for deciding to leave talk show Studio 10 and spend more time with their daughters
‘My admiration for Jessica knows no bounds. To make a decision to leave a job you love takes courage,’ the veteran television journalist wrote.
‘Jess & I have had some long talks about this & the bottom line is our little girls need their Mum. For breakfast, for the school run, for the family’ he continued.
He noted their daughters were ‘involved in the discussion’ about Jessica’s decision.
‘My admiration for Jessica knows no bounds. To make a decision to leave a job you love takes courage,’ the veteran television journalist wrote
‘Jess & I have had some long talks about this & the bottom line is our little girls need their Mum. For breakfast, for the school run, for the family’ he continued
‘This morning, when I asked 11-year-old Allegra how she felt that Mum that was going to be home in the mornings… she said “I am a billion times happy’… and that says it all,’ he finished.
Peter continued his sentiment in a published note for Nine’s digital portal TheFix: ‘One hundred percent, family is the most important thing.’
Jessica, who has co-hosted Studio 10 since 2013, announced her withdrawal in an emotional speech on Friday morning.
The mother of two told viewers she decided to leave the Channel 10 morning show to spend more time with her family.
Bittersweet: Jessica, who has co-hosted Studio 10 since 2013, announced her withdrawal in an emotional speech on Friday morning
‘It’s been a very hard thing for me to do, but it’s because my family need me. I want to be more present, I want to be a more present mum for my girls, Allegra and Giselle. They need their mum,’ she expressed.
The media power couple met in 2001 after a mutual friend suggested Peter should ‘take her out’ and Peter responded only if Jessica called him first – which she did.
‘I figured I had nothing to lose. I was sick of going out with dropkicks and Pete was the man for me,’ she told Fitzy & Wippa during a 2016 interview.
‘I figured I had nothing to lose. I was sick of going out with dropkicks and Pete was the man for me,’ she told Fitzy & Wippa during a 2016 interview