Commando Steve shares rare snap with all four kids
"I cherish these moments and memories."
By Chanelle Mansour
It’s not often that Steve “Commando” Willis speaks about his personal life, but the former Biggest Loser trainer has shared some insights about how he is navigating parenting his four children, whom he shares with three ex-partners.
On Monday, Commando Steve Willis took to Instagram to share a rare picture of himself with all of his children – sons Jack, nine, Axel, five, and daughters Brianna, 22, and Ella, 12.
The 44-year-old took to Instagram to share the blended family moment with his followers.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned from my own parenting journey and through my work with @karitanensw it’s that spending quality time and being present with your kids is so important for their positive upbringing,” he captioned the post.
“Spending quality time and being present with your kids is so important for their positive upbringing.”
He went on to say that the school holidays provide him with the “wonderful opportunity” to spend some more quality time with his kids.
“We all get caught up with work and school and everyday life that we rarely get the opportunity to slow down and just be present with each other,” he penned.
“I cherish these moments and memories as I watch them grow into fine young adults before my eyes…” he added.
Steve shares his eldest daughter Brianna from an early relationship, Ella and Jack from his relationship with ex-partner Froso, and his youngest, Axel, with ex-partner and former Biggest Loser co-star, Michelle Bridges.
In addition to his own children, Steve’s current girlfriend, F45 trainer Harika Vancuylenberg, has two kids from a previous relationship.
In a previous chat with New Idea, Steve admitted that the demands of mixing families and the needs of children can be hard to balance, especially the part which includes, in his words, “compromises with exes and the challenges that come with all of that”.
“That can be hard when sometimes you’re quite upset and angry or the other parent in the circumstance isn’t doing things the way you’d like them to be doing things,” he said
“I cherish these moments and memories as I watch them grow into fine young adults before my eyes…”
The dad-of-four is also the ambassador for non-profit organisation, Karitane, leaders in parenting services.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few years addressing my behaviours and how I cope with things and realised that I don’t have to parent how my father parented,” he previously told New Idea.
“I’m better at listening and I really enjoy giving my kids cuddles and telling them I love them.”
This article first appeared on New Idea and has been republished with permission.
