Getty
On-screen, Rodger Corser is known as one of Australia’s biggest heartthrobs, and his real-life marriage to wife Renae has proved just as romantic (if not more) than any fictional story.
The Doctor Doctor star and host of new reality TV show The Floor married Renae Berry in October 2007, and still compliments her in interviews and on social media.
“Btw how hot is you know who!?!?” he wrote in an Instagram post, alongside a picture of the couple at a 2024 Derby Day event.
Renae, who changed her last name from Berry to Corser when they married, shared the same pic on her Instagram, where Corser commented: “Bell of the ball yet again!” And she replied with “thank you my handsome date”.
It is heartwarming to see these comments, especially considering they have been together more than 17 years. But it wasn’t exactly the smoothest start for the couple and their family, with cancer and fertility questions very early on in the relationship. Here, we take a look at how it all began and what they’ve shared over the years – including the “secret” to their successful marriage.
How did Rodger Corser and wife Renae Berry meet?
Rodger and former theatre actress Renae Berry were introduced to each other at a party by their mutual agent. But in a candid chat with the Australian Women’s Weekly in 2017, Rodger revealed Renae had caught his eye before that.
“I realised afterwards, that I’d actually seen Renae before dancing in a show,” Rodger recalled.
“I’d nudged one of the guys I went with and said, ‘Check out the second dancer there.’ He turned to me and said, ‘You’ve got no chance, mate.’ But it was her.”
The show was Saturday Night Fever, which opened in Melbourne in 2005 with Renae Berry playing the romantic lead character Stephanie Mangano. Rodger even shared a photo of the fateful night on Instagram back in 2019, when he and Renae went to the opening night of a new production.
“14 years ago I fell for the lead of #saturdaynightfever when our mutual agent Mark Byrne (sadly missed) took me as his plus 1 to opening night in Melbourne. Who would a thunk eh??” he wrote. Describing the picture as “Opening night Melbourne 2005 (asking for her number to call for a first date…on an ancient flip phone)”.
Renae Berry’s cancer diagnosis
While it’s very clear Rodger Corser and his wife are a solid couple, their relationship came with challenges very early on when Renae was diagnosed with cervical cancer just a few months after they began dating. Her prognosis was not good and she was advised to have a hysterectomy, which she refused.
“For quite a while, it haunted me. I worried that (the cancer) might return. I was told I had four years to live and that did play on my mind,” Renae told the Australian Women’s Weekly.
Doctors also told her she wouldn’t be able to have children.
“It would be a test for any couple, you’d either feel closer or it would tear you apart,” Renae told Woman’s Day of the diagnosis and treatment. “But we faced it together and got through it.”
More than that, the couple went on to have three children together: Budd, 14, Cilla, 13, and Dustin, 10.
Family life with Rodger and Renae
While Rodger Corser’s career went from strength to strength, wife Renae dedicated her time to their family and home life. It’s also something Rodger has been open about recognising in interviews.
“I couldn’t do this without her support,” Rodger told TV WEEK in 2018. “When we film Doctor Doctor in Mudgee [in country NSW], I’m often not around to help with the kids at home.
“But Renae has everything down to a finely drilled art and makes it possible for me to do what I’m passionate about.”
As well as his three kids with Renae, Rodger has a 22-year-old daughter, Zipporah, with his ex-partner Christine Anu. While he and legendary singer Anu separated, they have co-parented in harmony since then, with Renae also sharing a bond with Zippy.
“For a while there, I thought Zippy would be my only little person to raise and love and look after,” Renae shared in the 2017 interview with the Australian Women’s Weekly.
So by all accounts, their blended family is thriving.
According to Rodger, one of the secrets to their happy marriage is not giving up.
“I don’t think we’ve been through anything better or worse than others. But you don’t give up when it’s easy to give up. Using the ejector seat isn’t in my repertoire,” he told Stellar in 2018.
This mindset has extended to parenting, with Rodger jumping into stay-at-home dad mode while Renae was studying in 2018.
“It’s definitely my turn. My wife is studying kinesiology and some other therapies, and she has been juggling the kids and that while I’ve been away,” he told Domain at the time.
“I’ll get back into the trenches so to speak and start making the school lunches and taking them to swimming, so Renae can do her studies. I’ve got to catch up on some of the school drop-off and pick-ups.”
These days, the couple seem to be thriving, with Rodger going from strength to strength in his career and Renae recently launching her own business, Renae Corser Wellness. Talk about a power couple!
Want your own fairytale romance? Sign up for eHarmony here.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
