Todd Woodbridge speechless over TV guest’s on-air confession
After 31 years of marriage, Todd Woodbridge admits he has a “rare” kind of love with wife Natasha. But there’s one thing people fail to understand.
“Tash is an incredibly strong-willed competitive woman,” the tennis champion turned Tipping Point host tells nine.com.au. “And at some point people go, ‘Oh [Tash], what do you do for a job?’ and I butt in because it’s a rude question, I think.”
Todd Woodbridge and wife Natasha have been married for 31 years this April. Instagram/@woodbridge.todd
“It’s rude because Tash played the role of partner, wife, psychologist, running our travel, running our house, putting the kids through school, while I was focused on one thing, and that was a job on its own.”
Todd and Natasha began dating when they were 18 and 16 respectively. He met his future wife through her famous tennis player sister Nicole Provis. By 19, Natasha had hit the road to travel with Todd and support his tennis career.
For the next 17 years, they would be on the road for 38 weeks a year.
“By her own choice, she gave up her own challenges to do the ones for us,” Todd went on.
They married at 21 and 24, the same year they moved out of Australia to pursue Todd’s career in tennis.
“At that age, a lot of people go on gap years and stuff, but this was it. This was the commitment and I think that’s pretty rare,” he said of their marriage.
“It’s very easy to move in and out of relationships. None of it could’ve been easy dealing with me through the ups and downs of tennis, the mood swings and losses and ranking changes,” he continued.
Tash has been by Todd’s side through it all. Instagram @woodbridge.todd
“It wasn’t travelling the world. It was managing all of those pieces of our puzzle and I’m really proud of her,” Todd said.
One of those pieces is being proud parents to Zara, 25, and Beau, 23, who they both share.
The tennis great never encouraged his kids to follow in his footsteps, but each have pursued their own passions, which has made Todd equally proud.
Todd with son Beau, wife Tash and daughter Zara. Instagram/@woodbridge.todd
His son Beau is a rising theatre star who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a Master of Arts degree.
Daughter Zara is a talented golfer who’s been a part of the Golf Victoria state team. She’s also studying nutrition and has aspirations of being a registered dietician.
With their kids out of home, Todd revealed his trips around the world with wife Natasha look a little different now. For one, they’ve found a new hobby together.
Todd and Tash have followed in the footsteps of their daughter and have taken up golf. Instagram/@woodbridge.todd
“We like golf, that’s something we do now,” Todd shared. “We plan our trips away around golf, places where we can go see the world but play golf, you know?
“I asked her, ‘Would you like to do a trip to the Maldives?’. She goes, ‘Oh it’d be lovely, but there’s no golf course there’,” he laughed.
“She’s a sporting woman at heart.”
Todd and Tash did in fact make it to the Maldives. Instagram/@woodbridge.todd
As for their 31 years of marriage, Todd said he doesn’t know where all those years went, but he could say this: “That’s a long time, isn’t it?”
“It’s a good effort,” he beamed.