He may not have won this year’s Australian Survivor, but Luke Toki certainly won over the fans, who raised $500,000 for him following his shock elimination.
And in an interview with Perth Now on Tuesday, the 33-year-old family man spoke about how he’s spent the money.
According to Luke, ‘life is exactly the same’, except for the fact he was able to pay off his mortgage.
Support: He may not have won this year’s Australian Survivor, but Luke Toki certainly won over the fans, who raised $500,000 for him following his shock elimination
‘I’m a homeowner now, I’m a 33-year-old home owner,’ he proudly told the publication.
But Luke said he still works and has no intention of quitting his job anytime soon.
‘I get up at 4am, I get changed, at the train station by 5, work by 6, I’m still doing the same things,’ he said.
Helping out: Following his elimination from the reality show in September, devastated fans rallied around Luke by starting a GoFundMe page on his behalf
‘I’ve got a good job I’m going to hold on to probably forever.’
He said he’s also been able to give back, donating some of the money to charity, and he has plans to give away more.
Following his elimination from the reality show in September, devastated fans rallied around Luke by starting a GoFundMe page on his behalf.
For a good cause: The fan favourite was hoping to win the competition to help his family, after welcoming a daughter, Madeline, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, in March
Within a few days, donations had exceeded $550,000, and Luke and his wife, Mary, made the decision to shut down the page, which had an original goal of half a million dollars.
The fan favourite was hoping to win the competition to help his family, after welcoming a daughter, Madeline, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, in March.
In addition to Madeline, Luke and Mary have two sons with autism, Lennox, seven, and Nate, five.
Happy family: In addition to Madeline, Luke and his wife Mary have two sons with autism, Lennox, seven, and Nate, five
Speaking to New Idea in September, Mary said her husband, a two-time Survivor star, had only returned to the jungle to raise some much-needed money for his young family.
‘We were not financially strong… times were really tough. And that’s why he was out there looking for an exit,’ she explained.
She added a message for the fans: ‘I feel like nothing I say will be good enough. I can’t even comprehend it right now. Thank you isn’t enough.’
Hard times: Speaking to New Idea in September, Mary said her husband, a two-time Survivor star, had only returned to the jungle to raise some much-needed money for his young family