David Genat has officially taken over as the host of Australian Survivor.
For the past couple of weeks, the 45-year-old has been leading a fresh crop of players through immunity challenges and tribal councils in the Samoan jungle for Australian Survivor: Redemption.
His new gig followed a stint on Deal or No Deal Island, where he took home $9.2 million in prize money.
Behind the scenes, David is a husband, a father to three children, and a stepfather to one stepdaughter.
Scroll on to learn more about David Genat’s family life.
Who is David Genat’s wife?
David, who is originally from Perth, moved to the US in 2003 to pursue his modelling career.
It was there that the reality star met his now-wife Pearl Christensen, who is a movement coach and personal trainer. The pair later welcomed a daughter together, whom they named Rei.
“So proud of this incredible human,” Pearl wrote on Instagram after David’s 2020 Survivor win.
“He is always up for a challenge, digs into learning new things, tolerates immense stress with grace, doesn’t ever give up, and somehow makes almost everything fun. So happy to be in Australia with him.”
How many children does David Genat have?
In 2020, following his second stint on Australian Survivor, David and his US family relocated back to Australia. David also has two sons, Winston and Hugo, from a previous marriage in Australia.
Speaking to Mamamia after his Survivor win, David said he was ready to bring everyone together.
“Having the kids growing up in different cities has been pretty heartbreaking for us. We’d talked about it for a long time, but being financially stable now gave us the ability to do it,” he said.
It’s not the first time he’d spoken about having children on the opposite sides of the globe.
“Two of my boys have been growing up in Perth, and they can’t quite get the same relationship through Skype as they would in person,” he said to TV Week after the finale.
“It’s pretty expensive to fly a family of four here and have a place to stay. We were intent on making the move back, and Survivor has given me the ability to do that.”
At the time, he also said the family would be based in Perth “for a few years,” and the $500,000 prize would help contribute to the family’s living and medical expenses.
“We’re going to use it for the kids’ education, my daughter is dyslexic, so there will be a lot going into there, and my wife has some health complications with an autoimmune problem with Lupus,” he told the publication.
“But we’re going to have some fun too, as soon as this coronavirus goes away, we’ll take a holiday, and I’ll definitely be buying a motorcycle or two.”
As for what he plans to do with the millions he won on Deal or No Deal Island in the USA? Some will be for some splurges, but most of it will be used to set up his life with his wife and children.
“I’ve got kids who are about to get their driver’s license, so I probably have to get a fleet of vehicles,” he told The Daily Telegraph at the time.
During his first time on Survivor in 2019, David said he loved his three children “to bits”.
“I try to think of everything I do as a way to help them,” he said on the show. “Just to have unbridled love right in front of your face and just remembering what that’s about and why you’re out here, it’s just such a good recharge.
He has also spoken about his hopes for his daughter in the dominance of social media.
“We want her to be accepted for who she is, no matter how she pans out,” he told our sister publication WHO for its 2020 Most Beautiful People issue.
“We want her to be herself and not feel the weight of conventional beauty standards. And look, I’m coming from the modelling business, I’ve been judged on the way I look for 20 years, but … I think people are really craving for realness. I try to steer away from using any filters on social media so I can come across as real as possible.”
He is also a stepfather to Pearl’s eldest daughter from a previous relationship.
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