He was once the host of a show that’s all about backstabbing, scheming, and being the last one standing, but Jonathan LaPaglia’s family life is nothing like the show Survivor.
The former host, who returned to the US after his axing, has celebrated a very special milestone – his daughter Tilly’s 21st.
“Sweet 21! Happy Birthday little one! 🎂,” he wrote on Instagram. “From brilliant child to brilliant adult! (Gotta put your big girl pants on now 🩲😬)”
The heartfelt caption was joined by a carousel of photos of the pair over the years.
Previously, Jonathan has spoken about how difficult it was to be away from his family while filming the show, and how crucial their support is.
Shortly after his axing, he was spotted with his family in Brentwood, California. He has called the US home for more than 20 years.
Read more about his wife and family below.
When did Jonathan LaPaglia and Ursula Brooks get married?
The former Australian Survivor host has been happily married to his wife Ursula Brooks for over two decades after the pair tied the knot back in 1998.
Jonathan has kept his marriage relatively low-key, but he will often share little snippets of his wife and their daughter, Tilly, on his social media.
And, while their romance has been kept out of the spotlight, Ursula is no stranger to the public eye, where she’s worked as an actress for years.
Ursula has starred in films such as Happy in the Valley, Angels and Demons, and Daybreak. She’s also written two TV movies, Enough About You and How Divine!.
Parenthood
But, there is no doubt her most incredible role yet is being the mother to her and Jonathan’s daughter Tilly who according to her father, “doesn’t really have any inclination” to go into show business. Instead, she wants to be a neuroscientist.
“I used to be a doctor, so maybe there’s some chip off the old block,” Jonathan jokingly told our sister publication TV Week in June 2023.
“She’s probably going to move to the East Coast for college, so she’ll be as far away from us as possible, which I think she’s looking forward to,” also shared at the time.
“I’m happy that she wants that independence, and I encourage it, but, like most parents, there’s a part of me that would like to freeze time when Tilly was a little chunky bubba…she was so damned cute! But there’s a bigger part of me that’s proud of the fine young adult she’s become.”
A special father-daughter bond
Jonathan also shared that despite his previous hosting duties, to Tilly he’s “just her dad who tells really bad jokes.”
In a February 2025 interview with New Idea, he shared how often his wife and daughter visited him in Samoa during filming.
“They did come to visit in the early seasons but the schedule now conflicts with Tilly’s school. Nevertheless, they are huge fans of the show and have watched all seasons,” he shared with us.
In June 2024 Jonathan shared a sweet snap of him and Tilly at a TV Girl concert in the US.
“Tapping into my inner teenager. At TV Girl concert with the little one (who is no longer little 😬),” he captioned this happy snap.
Only a year prior the proud parents celebrated their only daughter after she achieved an exciting new milestone, graduating from high school!
“Congrats little one (not so little anymore!) crushing high school and graduating Class of 2023! 👏 🥳 So much knowledge acquired, so much more to learn…like how to use the washing machine when you go to college 🤪 #prouddad,” the television veteran penned at the time.
Special milestones
Prior to that, Jonathan celebrated his daughter passing her driving test in her home state of California with a sweet post shared in March 2021.
“Secretly I was hoping she wouldn’t pass her Drivers Test today so we could do a couple more years of lessons. Nope…she #crushedit 👊🏻 One and done @tilly.lapaglia (The grey hairs are coming in already) #prouddad 🤓,” he wrote jokingly.
In January of that same year, the former host shared this heartwarming throwback snap of the father-daughter duo.
“Photobombed by the Queen’s Corgi whilst chilling with my favourite daughter 😍 #woof,” Jonathan wrote at the time.
Backtracking to September 2020, the father of one celebrated a special occasion with his only child.
“Little one just turned sweet 16 🎉….first order of bidness 👉🏻 drivers permit 😬 #birthdaygirl #wheredidthetimego.”
A proud husband
He captioned a second photo of a newborn Tilly with this: “The love affair that started 16 years ago 😍 #nationaldaughtersday.”
But as well as sharing throwback snaps and updates about his daughter and family life, Jonathan has also publicly praised his wife.
“Big congrats to Ursula Brooks for winning 1st Prize TV Comedy Pilot at LA Comedy Festival,” he wrote enthusiastically on his Instagram in November 2017.
Nowadays, the family of three have since set up their roots in Santa Monica, California, despite Jonathan having been born in Sydney and Ursula in Adelaide.
And despite living near Hollywood, the couple have done their best to keep their family life hidden away from the public eye.
“We always make sure that we spend almost all our meals together. That’s like really important to us to take time out for the day and sit down and celebrate meals together,” the 54-year-old has also shared with TV Week.
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