Cassandra Thorburn’s son speaks out about his parents' divorce: “Someone had to protect her"
Jackson Thorburn has opened up about his parents Karl Stefanovic and Cassandra Thorburn’s divorce in a new interview.
The 19-year-old sat down with Woman’s Day and revealed the hardships his mother and family had to face during the tumultuous time.
The eldest sibling changed his Instagram handle to his mother’s surname last year and said that the conflict between his parents changed his perception of the both of them.
Karl – who was married to Cassandra for 21 years – decided to separate, but the decision didn’t go as smoothly as one would hope.
However, despite the messy divorce and tabloid smear, Jackson remains firmly grounded.
“What’s done is done.
“Despite what happened, he’s still my dad.”
But Jackson has a new-found respect for his mother.
“My mother is the most extraordinary person, and what she has weathered in these past few years, no one deserves the backlash,” he said.
He went on to describe his mother’s battle, as she faced “incredibly destructive” comments from the public and the press.
“Someone had to step up to protect her, and I knew that person was me.”
Cassandra, who joined the cast of Dancing With The Stars, previously said that Jackson doubted her dancing abilities, but her son remained supportive albeit a little doubtful.
“I was brutally honest with her, but it actually made her more determined!” he said.
The 47-year-old took a crack at the reality series but was unfortunately booted out of the competition after a three-week run on Monday night.
The mother-of-three said that the show allowed her to do “something for me, it’s been a long time”.
She was candid about her struggle as a newly single parent, revealing her journey on the show as she used dance as an emotional release.
“It was my lowest moment. I struggled to leave the house,” she said.
“My girlfriends were helping me with groceries and all sorts of things.”
The Thorburns were hit with another tragedy soon after the divorce, and that was the passing of Cassandra’s father, Max Thorburn.
Jackson praised his maternal grandfather and described him as “a man of integrity”.
He said: “While I may be a Stefanovic, I’m so proud of my Thorburn genes.”
The doting mum took to her Instagram on Monday to share a photo of her with Jackson, writing in the caption: “How blessed am I to be loved and respected by this incredible young man?”
And it’s clear the feeling is mutual, as Jackson spoke glowingly about his mum, calling her “the world’s best mother”.
Meanwhile, Cassandra faces another heartbreak, this time one that is bittersweet as Jackson prepares to move out of the family home to start university.
The journalist wrote an emotional post on Instagram saying that she was lying on her son’s bed looking back at motherhood.
“How I will miss this blonde bundle of love who ventured off 8 hours away to start uni,” she wrote.
“Where did the years go … my heart swells but so do my tear ducts.
“Quite pathetic but tonight I’m lying on this bed reminiscing about being gifted the role of raising such a wonderful young man.”
While she isn’t ready to say goodbye, Cassandra admits that it was Jackson’s “time to fly”.
“A mother’s love for her children, as you know, is fierce and unconditional. It’s his time to fly and if he waivers he knows I’ll be waiting [with] arms open.”
In addition to Jackson, Cassandra is a mother to two other children with Karl Stefanovic – Ava, 13, and River, 12.