Why TV weatherman Steve Jacobs’ marriage was doomed as wife Rose Kelly lifts the lid on their love split and her new life after giving up on men and booze – as she reinvents herself as a Bali villa tycoon

EXCLUSIVE

The ex-wife of Today show weatherman Steve Jacobs has given up booze as she reinvents herself as a property tycoon in Bali following her bitter divorce and a series of dating disasters.

Rose Kelly made headlines when she turned the police on her then-boyfriend Matt Shir in 2020 and was caught driving while suspended last year.

Now the mum-of-two has confessed to Daily Mail Australia that she made ‘stupid decisions’ after turning to alcohol ‘to numb the pain’ after her marriage to Steve ended in 2017.

She claims she hit the bottle when she was the target of a hate campaign by her husband’s loyal fans following their breakup – and she is still bitter about the backlash she felt.

“There’s a lot that happened behind the scenes that still hasn’t become public knowledge and I’ll take it to the grave,” she says.

‘I don’t do that to protect anyone other than my children, but every divorce involves two parties.

‘The headlines were pointing fingers at me and it was hard, the public shame was hard and I don’t think it was fair that I did all this.’

In a rare interview, Rose Kelly opens up about life after divorce

Kelly says she’s been sober for three years now and is ready for a fresh start with a self-imposed ban on men and a new best friend in former Home and Away star Jodi Gordon.

“Anyone who has been through divorce knows how difficult it can be,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

“I drank more than what brought me joy, not just during festive times, and I think that’s the Australian way.

‘You drink when you are bored, to escape from emotions, times of sadness and because it is social.

‘And I consciously chose to be single at this stage of my life. I’m not closed off to love, but I’m not desperate for it either.’

Kelly insists Jacobs is still the “love of her life” and says the real reason for the split was his life on TV.

“Our marriage was under incredible pressure, so not many people could survive,” she added. ‘He was away 300 days a year for ten years.

‘If anyone could survive that, it would be a miracle. People were sitting at home having their breakfast wondering where the weatherman was today, but for us it’s where is daddy today?

‘How can you say connected and united? It’s impossible.’

Rose has several Vilas in Bali and rents them all out

Rose is involved in the design aspects of all her luxury villas

While Kelly admits she hasn’t made the wisest decisions when choosing men, she has exercised better judgment when it comes to ownership.

Next week she heads to Bali to view her latest project: a luxury four-bedroom villa in Uluwatu, which will rent for more than $1,000 a night.

After making a profit from the Bronte apartment she bought after the divorce, she moved her investments to Indonesia and now has several villas in her portfolio.

“I’m fortunate enough to have been raised by a single mother who made very smart real estate investment decisions and I learned from that and did a lot of research,” she says.

“I broke a nerve to get where I am today. I’ve achieved almost 100 per cent in my HSC, double degreed at Uni and speak multiple languages ​​and now I’m getting paid to do what I love as a travel journalist for Sydney Travel Guide.”

Kelly said giving up alcohol wasn’t easy – and she even lost friends in the process – but it also led to her new friendship with soap star Gordon.

The pair were originally neighbors in Sydney’s eastern suburbs before later moving to new homes but kept in touch and subsequently became even closer, she said.

“She was married to Braith Anasta and I was married to Steven and we lived across the street from each other in Coogee,” Kelly said.

Rose and former Home and Away actress Jodi Gordon have become best friends

‘But it wasn’t until we were both single mothers that our paths crossed again, and we realized we had a lot in common.

‘Jodie is my best friend and doesn’t drink alcohol, we are both single mothers, both in the media, have girls the same age.

“It’s like a sisterhood – I trust her with my life, and we’re there to encourage each other and I’m so lucky to have her in my life.”