The Block star Mat Johnson has welcomed his first child.
The reality TV star, who competed on the 2025 show with his friend, Robby, took to Instagram on Friday, December 17, to confirm the happy news.
He has welcomed a baby boy into the world, but he has not yet shared his name.
“Yesterday my life changed forever,” he simply wrote on Instagram, alongside photographs of him holding his son in hospital.
Mat, 41, has welcomed his first child through IVF with his good friend, Leah Cocks, and they plan on co-parenting together.
His son will grow up alongside his friend Robby’s son, Brooks.
Mat exclusively announced the news of Leah’s pregnancy with New Idea in October.
“I have always wanted to be a dad, especially in this later part of my life,” Mat told New Idea ahead of The Block’s upcoming Auction Day.
He admitted that, for most of his adult life, his work was his “drive and heart” – but something was always missing.
“With hairdressing, you can form relationships with people and bonds, especially after years and lots of beautiful conversations,” he said.
But when Leah, who is in a same-sex relationship, first approached Mat with the idea to have a child together, he originally said no as he was scared his life would change.
“I didn’t know if I was ready at that stage of my life, and I think I was terrified because I have a very good life that I worked decades to be able to have,” he confessed.
About a year after turning Leah’s request down, Mat realised that he was, in fact, ready to take the leap, and it was what he wanted, so they started the process.
“I was ecstatic when it was a yes,” Leah, who has known Mat for 20 years, told us with a grin.
Mat added: “I wouldn’t have done it with just anyone. It’s only because it’s her”.
However, it wasn’t a quick and easy process for the pair.
After seven years of persevering through medical roadblocks, Leah found out she was pregnant in week one of Mat filming The Block in Daylesford, Vic, after a round of IVF.
She made the choice not to tell Mat until he was back home in Adelaide due to concerns that it would distract him while he was trying to focus on The Block.
By then, she was already three months pregnant.
“I was so nervous,” Leah admitted.
“After Mat returned, I booked in to get my hair done, the very last appointment that he had for the day, and I sat there in my baggy clothes and gave him a card.
“It had the ultrasound in it, and Mat just looked at me and said, ‘congratulations!’”
It took Mat a second to understand what was happening as it hadn’t clicked straight away.
“I suddenly realised I’m going to be a dad,” he said.
Telling his family
After publicly revealing his happy news in his exclusive interview with New Idea, Mat took to social media to share a video of the moment he told his family that he would be a father!
Sitting down at a kitchen table with some celebratory champagne ready to go, Mat told them he had “something very exciting” to share.
“Honestly, you’ll have no idea,” he told them in the video.
Mat proceeded to give them a gift bag and asked his mum to “pull something out”.
She then pulled out a baby onesie.
“You’re having a baby?” they questioned with disbelief.
“I’m having a baby,” he then confirmed.
“You’re gonna be a granny, and you’re gonna be an aunty!” he said to his shocked – and excited family.
His sister screamed with delight as he confirmed that his little boy was due on December 18, 2025.
