Barnaby Joyce’s embarrassed daughters could suffer mentally following his tell-all interview with lover Vikki Campion, according to an expert in human development.
The former Deputy Prime Minister and his new partner accepted $150,000 from the Seven Network to tell their side of the political scandal in an interview on Sunday.
In the interview, which aired less than two months after baby Sebastian was born, the couple aired their dirty laundry to 614,000 Australian viewers.
Mr Joyce admitted to ‘living a lie’ by continuing his public relationship with his wife while secretly being involved with Ms Campion (Barnaby Joyce is pictured with his estranged wife Natalie, and their four daughters in 2015)
Barnaby Joyce with his family at Parliament House, Canberra in 2005
Mr Joyce is pictured with his former staffer turned partner, and their newborn son Sebastian
Human development expert Associate Professor Michael Nagel told the Daily Telegraph he felt for the former Deputy Prime Minister’s daughters Odette, Caroline, Julia, Bridgette and mother Natalie.
‘I can only imagine that interview would have been very painful, if they saw it, heard about it or see it replayed in the news,’ Dr Nagel said.
‘Any time anyone goes through a marriage breakup it’s very difficult for anyone involved.
‘Seeing your family’s trials and tribulations played out on a national scale, for those involved, I would be concerned about them.’
Similar concerns were expressed by viewers on social media.
‘5 minutes in, and how sorry do you feel for Barnaby’s ex-wife and daughters. Having to watch Barnaby and his Mistress bathe their love child. Barnaby’s level of selfishness is unrivalled,’ wrote one person.
Another said: ‘I feel Natalie and her 4 daughters may disagree but what do they matter. Here is her husband and their father playing father and partner of the year when he was never even around for them. This interview – a slap in the face to them.’
Mr Joyce, 51, and his former media adviser spoke out about their affair on Channel Seven’s Sunday Night program with reporter Alex Cullen
Weighing in on the controversial interview, body language and voice expert Dr Louise Mahler said Ms Campion’s body language suggested a lack of love for the politician.
‘There were no signs of affection between them,’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘They are two people, not a couple, doing the best in a bad situation.’
Dr Mahler also noted Ms Campion walked in and sat down before Mr Joyce.
She said this suggested the former media adviser took the lead in the relationship.
Ms Campion said she considered getting an abortion and even bought the medicine
Ms Campion said she had been threatened by ‘conservatives’ within the National party to terminate her pregnancy
Vikki Campion said she was pressured to get an abortion by conservative politicians after becoming pregnant with Barnaby Joyce’s baby (Pictured: baby Sebastian)
Dr Mahler also noticed Ms Campion often interrupted Mr Joyce, even turning her body away from him throughout.
She said this was a sign the couple argued often.
Despite putting on a brave face, Ms Campion appeared to be struggling with the pressure of the situation, Dr Mahler said.
In the interview on Network Seven’s Sunday Night program, Ms Campion revealed she was told to have an abortion by ‘God fearing conservatives’ within the National party.
‘They came to me and they said ‘You’re pregnant and you have to get an abortion’. And they said ‘If you don’t, they’re going to come after you’,’ she said.
Mr Joyce admitted to ‘living a lie’ by continuing his public relationship with his wife while secretly being involved with Ms Campion (Barnaby Joyce is pictured with his estranged wife Natalie, and their four daughters in 2015)
‘And I said ‘It’s too late, it has a heartbeat’. And they said ‘if you don’t, they’re going to come after you’.’
Mr Joyce said those that had threatened Ms Campion were the ‘absolute scum of the earth’.
‘Their contribution to it is they’re going to try and make an incredibly difficult situation almost unbearable by saying to you that, ‘Woman, you will do this if you want a career in this place’. And that’s your Australian parliament,’ he said.
Ms Campion said she took a pregnancy test in winter 2017 which confirmed she was carrying Mr Joyce’s child.
‘I felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation we had caused ourselves,’ she said.
Mr Joyce said as he doesn’t believe in abortion, he knew at that moment he would lose his job as Deputy Prime Minister.
The body language expert said Ms Campion showed a lack of affection towards the politician
Vikki Campion is pictured with baby Sebastian after she gave birth to him in April
In the interview Mr Joyce admitted to ‘living a lie’ by continuing his public relationship with his wife while secretly being involved with Ms Campion
Ms Campion said she considered getting an abortion and bought the medicine to go through with it.
‘I tried, and I couldn’t go there,’ she said.
After driving interstate from the Australian Capital Territory she ‘walked in and then walked out’ of an abortion clinic, ultimately deciding to keep the child.
Ms Campion said she was told by doctors shortly before she fell pregnant that she would not be able to have children.
The couple controversially accepted a $150,000 sum from the Seven Network to tell their side of the political scandal
Mr Joyce admitted to ‘living a lie’ by continuing his public relationship with his wife while secretly being involved with Ms Campion.
He refused to comment on his estranged wife Natalie and his four daughters, saying that was ‘completely private’.
Ms Campion said she was hurt that Mr Joyce had said Sebastian’s paternity was a ‘grey area’.
‘It was a decision we made together,’ Mr Joyce said of his comments, before she rebutted: ‘I didn’t tell you to say it was a ”grey area”.’
Mr Joyce is estranged from his wife of 24 years Natalie and their four adult daughters as a result of the extramarital affair that forced him to quit as Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister.
The backbench MP for the New South Wales seat of New England told the Seven Network he had let his family down.
‘I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed,’ he said.
The former accountant’s salary has also halved from $416,000 to $203,000 after the affair raised character questions about the Catholic, family values politician who had last year campaigned against gay marriage.
Despite the personal and political pain the relationship caused her boyfriend, Vikki Campion said that was the price of love.
‘I couldn’t help it. You can’t help who you fall in love with,’ she said.