Brent tells ‘I’D BE LOST WITHOUT HER’

Falling in love with the girl next door might sound like something out of a romance novel, but for contestant Brent Draper, it was his lucky reality. Afterproudly. “She was literally the girl next door. We were really good friends for six months and then I just moved in. We’ve been together ever since.” It was Shonleigh who encouraged the 31-year-old to take a chance and apply to be on . And after having their first child, Alfie, who’s now two, Brent tells how he felt a desire to pursue a different path. “I wasn’t enjoying being a tradie,” he admits. “The long hours... it wasn’t lighting me up any more. The minute I had Alfie, my whole outlook on life changed – I realised I had to do something that lights me up so I can show him to do exactly the same.” With Shonleigh’s unwavering support, Brent followed his dreams to . While he’s loving his time on the TVNZ 2 reality favourite, having to leave Shonleigh and Alfie behind has been a wrench. “The hardest thing is being apart from my best friend,” Brent says of his wife. “The longest we’ve been apart in 10 years is three days. Shonleigh is amazing. She’s always pushed me to be better. While I’m away, she’s been looking after Alfie, keeping the house from burning down and running her two businesses on her own. I’ve always looked up to her.”