Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine Yarbrough are expecting their first child together, a girl, next month.
And for The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine cover story, the Today host hit back at accusations Jasmine ‘stole’ him from his first wife, Cassandra Thorburn, 49.
The 45-year-old Channel Nine star met the footwear designer in late 2016, five months after his 21-year marriage breakdown.
‘It’s rubbish and it’s hurtful’: Karl Stefanovic, 45, hit back at accusations Jasmine Yarbrough ‘stole’ him from first wife Cassandra Thorburn, for The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine
‘She’s been through so much. She’s been pilloried and accused of things that didn’t happen,’ Karl said of Jasmine, 36.
‘It’s not her fault she fell in love with bugalugs, and the accusations were wrong about her stealing me from Cassandra. It’s rubbish and it’s hurtful.’
‘She’s just a beautiful, sweet woman from Queensland who runs a business and fell in love with me,’ he continued.
Vocal: ‘It’s not her fault she fell in love with bugalugs, and the accusations were wrong about her stealing me from Cassandra. It’s rubbish and it’s hurtful,’ the Today host said of Jasmine, 36
Meant to be: ‘She’s just a beautiful, sweet woman from Queensland who runs a business and fell in love with me,’ he continued
Karl is already a father to three children shared with Cassandra: son Jackson, 20, daughter Ava, 14, and son River, 12.
The presenter went on to add that Cassandra has ‘earned the right’ to speak about their marriage breakdown, and wishes her nothing but the best.
In 2018, Cassandra hinted at Karl having walked out on their family, in an interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly.
‘We are divorced, but like many broken families it is extremely stressful for everyone concerned,’ she said.
Family: Karl and Jasmine (pictured) are welcoming their first child next month, a girl
Ex-wife: Karl already shares three children with ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn (pictured in October 2008). They split in 2016, five months prior to Karl meeting Jasmine
‘Thankfully I’ve been gifted with enough resilience and strength to have got us all through these past two years. I want only for my children to be respected – so walking away, that’s not respectful.’
Karl and Jasmine’s whirlwind romance made headlines throughout the country back in 2016, and even shocked the couple at the time.
He previously told Stellar magazine that he never expected meeting someone so soon, just five months after his highly publicised split.
Fate: Karl previously told Stellar magazine that he never expected meeting someone so soon, just five months after his highly publicised split
Jasmine told Vogue Brides in December 2018: ‘Karl and I had met through friends over the Christmas period when I was back from Los Angeles visiting family in 2016.
‘When we first met, I thought he was going to be such a good friend, because we just laughed all the time. He had me in fits of laughter all day!’
The couple wed in a lavish ceremony at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San José del Cabo, Mexico, in December 2018.
Making her smile: Jasmine told Vogue Brides in December 2018 after their wedding that month: ‘When we first met, I thought he was going to be such a good friend, because we just laughed all the time. He had me in fits of laughter all day!’ Pictured on another occasion