Cassandra Thorburn’s son speaks out about his parents' divorce: “Someone had to protect her"
<p>Jackson Thorburn has opened up about his parents Karl Stefanovic and Cassandra Thorburn’s divorce in a new interview.</p>
<p>The 19-year-old sat down with <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/womansday" target="_blank">Woman’s Day</a> </em>and revealed the hardships his mother and family had to face during the tumultuous time.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Karl – who was married to Cassandra for 21 years – decided to separate, but the decision didn’t go as smoothly as one would hope.</p>
<p>However, despite the messy divorce and tabloid smear, Jackson remains firmly grounded.</p>
<p>“What’s done is done.</p>
<p>“Despite what happened, he’s still my dad.”</p>
<p>But Jackson has a new-found respect for his mother.</p>
<p>“My mother is the most extraordinary person, and what she has weathered in these past few years, no one deserves the backlash,” he said.</p>
<p>He went on to describe his mother’s battle, as she faced “incredibly destructive” comments from the public and the press.</p>
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<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu2chMIgXSN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Woman's Day Magazine Australia (@womansdayaus)</a> on Mar 10, 2019 at 7:08pm PDT</p>
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<p>“Someone had to step up to protect her, and I knew that person was me.”</p>
<p>Cassandra, who joined the cast of <em>Dancing With The Stars</em>, previously said that <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/he-thought-i-couldn-t-do-it-cassandra-thorburn-reveals-the-real-reason-she-went-on-dancing-with-the-stars" target="_blank">Jackson doubted her dancing abilities</a>, but her son remained supportive albeit a little doubtful.</p>
<p>“I was brutally honest with her, but it actually made her more determined!” he said.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The mother-of-three said that the show allowed her to do “something for me, it’s been a long time”.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“It was my lowest moment. I struggled to leave the house,” she said.</p>
<p>“My girlfriends were helping me with groceries and all sorts of things.”</p>
<p>The Thorburns were hit with another tragedy soon after the divorce, and that was the passing of Cassandra’s father, Max Thorburn.</p>
<p>Jackson praised his maternal grandfather and described him as “a man of integrity”.</p>
<p>He said: “While I may be a Stefanovic, I’m so proud of my Thorburn genes.”</p>
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<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu2Jwz_ACOX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">How blessed am I to be loved and respected by this incredible young man... Jackson’s advice in Woman’s Day today is to just feel the dance. 💕❤️💃🕺</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/cassthorburn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Cassandra Thorburn</a> (@cassthorburn) on Mar 10, 2019 at 4:24pm PDT</p>
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<p>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?”</p>
<p>And it’s clear the feeling is mutual, as Jackson spoke glowingly about his mum, calling her “the world’s best mother”.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Cassandra faces another heartbreak, this time one that is bittersweet as Jackson prepares to move out of the family home to start university.</p>
<p>The journalist wrote an emotional post on Instagram saying that she was lying on her son’s bed looking back at motherhood.</p>
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<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuiN5yEAw1B/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">How I will miss this blonde bundle of love who ventured off 8 hours away to start Uni. Where did the years go... my heart swells but so do my tear ducts. #blessedtobehismum</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/cassthorburn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Cassandra Thorburn</a> (@cassthorburn) on Mar 2, 2019 at 9:36pm PST</p>
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<p>“How I will miss this blonde bundle of love who ventured off 8 hours away to start uni,” she wrote.</p>
<p>“Where did the years go … my heart swells but so do my tear ducts.</p>
<p>“Quite pathetic but tonight I’m lying on this bed reminiscing about being gifted the role of raising such a wonderful young man.”</p>
<p>While she isn’t ready to say goodbye, Cassandra admits that it was Jackson’s “time to fly”.</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p>In addition to Jackson, Cassandra is a mother to two other children with Karl Stefanovic – Ava, 13, and River, 12.</p>