The curse of The Block? Three couples facing a painful separation
SHE’S one-half of The Block’s dynamic duo known for her ruthless determination and hard-as-nails approach.
But for identical twin Lysandra Fraser, who competes on the reality renovation show alongside sister Alisa, the strain of being away from home has finally taken its toll on her troubled marriage.
Behind closed doors, the 29-year-old mother-of-two and former South Australian police officer is privately going through a painful separation with her husband Ben Stevens, New Idea is reporting.
“It has been going on for some time but things got quite nasty in the last month or two and she has walked away,” the insider told the magazine, adding that Lysandra has been in tears multiple times on set in front of the cast and crew.
“It was definitely not a mutual decision and he is taking it hard. It is 100 per cent over.”
Rumours that the childhood sweethearts were on the rocks circulated during filming of The Block: Sky High last year, with Mr Stevens staying home in Adelaide to look after their sons, Emerson, two, and Cohen, one.
“[Ben] does full-time shift work, with two kids under three — so he’s got no downtime,” Lysandra admitted last year. “He is really struggling.”
The newly-single mum is rumoured to be back on the dating scene and is quietly seeing a Melbourne man who is not involved with the show.
A spokesperson from Channel 9 confirmed the pair had split when contacted by New Idea.
Alisa, who was also a cop until she won The Block with her sister, is also married with one son, Nate, but is said to have a “happily ever after” relationship with her husband. The sisters quit the force after they won last year’s competition, netting $395,000 in prize money.
Cracks have also reportedly started to appear in the two-year relationship of Melbourne couple Chantelle and Steve, with a source saying the pair decided to go on a break after getting into a “nasty” argument just weeks into filming The Block: Fans v Faves.
An insider reveals that negative feedback on social media and the ongoing pressure of filming has severely affected the pair.
Steve and Chantelle are ungrateful! You're on The Block! Its a once in a lifetime opportunity stop complaining! #theblock
— Felicity M (@flickity_split) February 13, 2014steve and chantelle have literally never renovated before and have no clue. why did they think going on #theblock was a good idea?
— Nathan Hall (@_nthn_hll_) February 13, 2014Steve and Chantelle's builder is more urgent than them. They need to push people more. @TheBlock9 #theblock
— Thanh Do (@ieatblog) February 13, 2014That said, last night during the “room reveal” it was reported that “love” was what got Chantelle and Steve through their tough week and that it had made their relationship stronger.
“If you are in a relationship and not on The Block together it can be hard to understand the experience,” one of the show’s judges Shaynna Blaze told news.com.au.
“But there is a strain on couples who work together on The Block too. Many fans say to me that they wouldn’t last 24 hours. It takes a certain amount of understanding to survive. I’m surprised by the amount of couples that have actually lasted.”
Another shock is news that former contestants Madi and Jarrod Coppock have also reportedly ended their marriage after two years, with an industry source admitting to the magazine: “They are divorced ... it’s done and dusted.”
The Sydney pair are believed to have split late last year, despite denying rumours of a rift during filming of last season’s show.
Confidential revealed last year there was tension between the high school sweethearts and that they were allegedly told to keep up appearances by producers in the final week of filming.
Madi has since been spotted with former MasterChef contestant Danie Churchill, while Jarrod has appeared on dating app Tinder and been seen with an unknown blonde.
Madi and Jarrod were last year’s runner-up couple, winning $291,000.
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