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If you haven’t already noticed, fan-favourite judge Neale Whitaker isn’t part of The Block 2024.
The Block judges made their first appearance on Sunday night to inspect and score the contestant’s first room: the guest bathroom. We watched as Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Marty Fox shared their honest opinions on the first room renovation of the season.
Fans quickly took to social media to share how much they miss Neale.
The interior design expert has been part of the reality renovation series since the third season in 2010. However, in May 2024, he announced he would be stepping back from his role to supprt his partner David who is battling “some serious health issues.”
“It’s no secret that The Block is currently filming on Victoria’s Phillip Island and lots of people have been asking me if I’m back on the show this year. I thought now was a good time to answer those questions,” he said in a post shared on Instagram.
“We all hoped that by this year I would be able to return full-time to the show, but life doesn’t always run to schedule. David gets stronger with each passing month, but my decision remains to be at home as much as possible.”
More recently, Neale spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle, revealing the real reason he wasn’t part of the 20th season of The Block. Neale shared that it was simply “time to move on.”
“Oh gosh, it was a big decision, but it was something that I had to do for my personal life,” he told the publication.
“After 13 years, it kind of felt like the timing was right. I gave it my best shot for all those years, and it was time to move on.”
Neale isn’t the only fan-favourite fans have been missing this season… beloved Foreman Keith also stepped back from the series this year.
Keith decided to step down from his full-time duties so he had more time to spend with his daughters Ebony and Jasmin. More on that here.
