In a very quiet night on television, it was Budget Battlers that took home to top spot among the non-news programs with a total TV national reach of 1,401,000 and a national average of 543,000.
Last nights episode saw hosts Jess and Norm finally address the elephant in the room that was their split after 12 years together. Although they publicly announced their breakup in April 2025, the pair revealed in the episode that they actually separated three years earlier.
Jess and Norm explain that their relationship ended amicably after realising they weren’t getting along as well as before. They chose to remain close friends and co-parent their children, Freddie and Matilda, while continuing to live together part-time in their Sydney home.
While their relationship may have ended, their friendship and respect for one another, they said, remains as strong as ever. Jess described their split as “best-friending” rather than breaking up.
“It’s not the ideal world that mum and dad are not together but we try and make life the best for them and as happy as we can,” Norm said. “We’re still great mates and to be honest if we weren’t great mates we wouldn’t be doing this show together.”
“Love comes in every single way. We’re not together together but I’ll love you forever,” Jess said.
Despite their separation, Jess and Norm continue to co-host the program, where they and a team of volunteers transform Aussie homes on tight budgets of $10,000–$15,000 in just five days.
