Celebrity personal trainer Michelle Bridges is celebrating her son Axel’s birthday in style – with a foam pool party in Bali.
On Thursday, the Australian fitness icon, 51, took to social media to share a beautiful tribute to him in the form of a montage of photos from throughout his life so far.
‘9 years of living with you. What a beautiful soul you are. The love of my life. Happy birthday Axel. Mumma xxx,” she captioned the video.
Bridges became a mother at the age of 45, while her partner Steve ‘Commando’ Willis had three children from a previous relationship.
The duo shot to fame in 2007 when they appeared on TV as the tough, no-nonsense trainers and TV presenters on The Biggest Loser.
Co-parenting isn’t easy for anyone, Michelle explained on the latest episode of the Mental As Everyone podcast: ‘It’s a challenge. It brings challenges, but the punishment must always start in the interests of Axel, that’s how I respond to it every time.’
Australian fitness icon Michelle Bridges says co-parenting is ‘challenging’ and she and ex Steve ‘Commando’ Willis always have Axel’s best interests in mind
The famous duo debuted their romance on the red carpet in May 2013, shortly after announcing their split from their respective partners at the time.
They welcomed their son Axel in December 2015 and later announced their divorce in 2020, the same year Michelle was convicted of drunken driving.
In 2021, the former Biggest Loser star told Good Weekend magazine that she had been going through her fair share of “dark” days following her divorce from Steve.
“I felt very alone,” she said.
“Honestly, it was the hardest time of my life ever, leading up to what happened. It felt like I was in a fog and I didn’t know what was happening.’
In the wide-ranging podcast interview, Bridges said amid the chaos of life, “I think you just have to find the joy and find the love.”
For her, that is Axel, the son she wasn’t sure she would ever have.
‘My son. Immediately. He made it to the finals of the poetry competition and he did so well. That just made my week. He’s delightful.
Steve ‘Commando’ Willis and Michelle Bridges in September 2014
‘He is everything. I feel really blessed because, as you know, my career took off right at the time when women often start thinking about having a baby.
‘My career exploded around the age of 35.
‘I never actually thought I would have a child at all, because I didn’t feel like I was that motherly. I had it late, I was pregnant at 44 and I had it at 45, which in the medical world is a geriatric uterus.”
She said that when she and Willis make decisions about co-parenting, they think, “Okay, what’s best for him.”
“His father and I both attended his poetry recital today. We both play an active role. I am the main caregiver.
“I’m with him probably 95 percent of the time, but his dad is there, and that’s really important for him, for his mental health, that he can see that his parents are working on everything for him.
“But yes, it’s not without its challenges, ask any co-parenting parent, it’s a work in progress.”
She and Willis appeared as trainers on The Biggest Loser Australia from 2007 to 2015.
The former soldier, 48, was infamous in the weight-loss program for his gruff personality as he shouted in the faces of overworked participants.
Steve left The Biggest Loser after the tenth season aired in 2015 and attempted to launch an acting career in 2018 when he made a guest appearance on Home and Away.
Michelle and Axel imagined celebrating his 9th birthday this week with a foam party in Bali
Steve is now in a committed and loving relationship with girlfriend Harika, with whom he started Get Commando Fit Group Training in Rouse Hill, NSW in January 2022.
The TV personality and his partner were first spotted holding hands together in February 2020, just days after ex Michelle, 53, was charged with drink-driving following their split.
Four years later, the couple has a blended family of six, with Harika’s two children from a previous relationship.
‘When you’re going through the divorce process for the first time, it’s easy to say something angry to the other person, but you know that’s not something the child needs or wants to hear, and for their future development and mental health, you can just do it. “t,” Bridges added.
When it comes to raising his children – Briana, 25, Ella, 16, Jack, 13, and Axel, nine – Steve takes a softer approach and prefers to lead by example.
“I’m much more considerate and fair, I don’t have to feel so compelled to intervene,” he told the Ny Breaking.
‘Axel is still young. How I conceive him is different than the older ones. You give the elderly a little more space.’
Bridges said her friends’ predictions that Axel might be more creative than athletic have come true.
‘Sure enough. He tolerates fitness,” she laughed.
‘He plays tennis, does karate and tolerates football, but he can recite poetry and a complete movie scene – which is extraordinary. So I’m like, ‘He’s the next Hemsworth,’ I guess.”