Barnaby Joyce’s ex-wife has shared a surprising message after the ex-Nationals leader married his former political adviser in a ‘bush bash’ wedding last weekend.
Mr Joyce, 56, and Vikki Campion, 38, exchanged vows on Sunday afternoon at his family’s farm at Woolbrook, west of Walcha, in the NSW Northern Tablelands.
Natalie Abberfield, who was married to Joyce for 24 years before the couple split in 2018, shared her best wishes for the couple on Monday.
“All I want to say is, I want to wish the happy couple all the best,” she said news.com.au.
Ms Abberfield revealed she had ‘moved on’ and was in a good place in life, enjoying her love of bodybuilding and working as a supervisor at a children’s centre.
Natalie Abberfield (left) said she had ‘moved on’ after her high-profile split from ex-national leader Barnaby Joyce (right)
Ms Abberfield took up bodybuilding after her shock split with Barnaby Joyce in 2018
She remains close to her four daughters, none of whom attended Mr Joyce and Mrs Campion’s wedding this weekend.
“I’m only looking out for me and no one else, I guess,” Mrs Abberfield said.
‘It probably is. Yes. I have a very good group of friends. My family is great. The girls are great. Yes. I have now moved on. Completely gone further.
“I guess that was a chapter of my book and now I’m into some new chapters of my book.”
Ms Abberfield opened up earlier this year about her surprise move into the world of bodybuilding following her bitter split from Mr Joyce.
She said being rock solid was a major factor in her recovery from her ex-husband’s devastating blindside and helped her “rediscover” herself.
“I always wanted to participate in a bodybuilding competition, but there was simply never the right time,” she told SBS in April.
‘When you are a mother with a young family, your priorities change and the things you once desired often remain on the back burner.
‘My marriage had ended and I was consumed with an overwhelming sense of sadness and the burning question: ‘What now? I’m no longer needed.’
Ms Abberfield said bodybuilding became “my escape and my way to refocus on my life.”
“I guess it gave me a purpose to get up in the morning,” she said.
Mr Joyce and Vikki Campion were married on Sunday at his family’s sprawling farm in Woolbrook, New South Wales
Mr Joyce’s youngest daughter, Odette, said none of his four girls were invited to Sunday’s wedding
Mr Joyce and Mrs Campion and friends at the wedding celebrations on Sunday
The news comes as Barnaby Joyce’s youngest daughter Odette confirmed that none of his four girls attended his wedding and her father didn’t even tell her about the ceremony.
On Saturday night, just hours before the wedding, Odette took to Instagram to share a photo from a friend’s birthday party in the Sydney suburb of Manly, about five hours south of the venue.
On Monday, she confirmed to Ny Breaking Australia that she had not been invited to attend the celebration.
She said: ‘Personally I wasn’t invited to the wedding, my father wasn’t even told about it, so I found out through other sources.’
“I would also rather celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday than attend or even think about a wedding that I don’t care about or support.
“If my father doesn’t want to think about me or even take me into account in the decisions he makes that ultimately affect me, then I honestly don’t have the time to think about him.”
Odette also slammed her father for allowing a media photographer to photograph the happy couple’s wedding.
She called it a “grand attempt by them to stay relevant when everyone is over it.”
Odette Joyce shared a photo of her and her mother and sisters in 2018 with the caption: ‘The real Joyce family #whosbarnaby’. In the photo from left to right: daughters Odette, Bridgette, Caroline and Julia. His ex-wife Natalie is pictured in the center
Odette Joyce said she would ‘rather celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday than attend or even think about a wedding I don’t care about or support’
Joyce’s relationship with Ms Campion sent shockwaves through Australia’s political scene when their affair came to light in February 2018 – two months before she gave birth to their son Sebastian.
Once their relationship became public, Joyce resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Nationals.
It was believed that Mrs Abberfield was blinded by her husband’s secret relationship.
At the time, Odette posted a photo of her mother and siblings on Instagram with the caption: “The real Joyce family #whosbarnaby.”
Mr Joyce and Ms Campion’s young sons, Thomas and Sebastian, aged four and five, wore Akubra hats, tan chinos and cowboy boots for their roles as ring bearers on Sunday.
The boys were seen enjoying the reception with their parents and about 80 guests.
Mr Joyce proposed in January 2022 with a parti sapphire ring, a stone popular in his northern NSW electorate of New England.
“Instead of getting down on one knee (to propose), I ended up getting down on two.” I said my prayers,” he said at the time.
When the couple announced their engagement, Mr Joyce said his family’s reaction was as “one expected” and that not everyone was pleased.
“Some are happy and some are understandably not so happy,” Joyce said.