Where are they now? Farmer Wants a Wife’s Jo and Rob on life after the show

What was not to love about Mt Gambier farmer Rob Hodges’ romance with Jo Fincham on Farmer Wants a Wife back in 2008. See where they are at as season 12 of the hit show gets under way.

It’s been 14 years since Jo Fincham won Rob Hodges’ heart on Farmer Wants a Wife and she is still taking very good care of it.

Rob, 57, is recovering after having open-heart surgery three months ago, and Jo, who turns 45 on September 14, has been by his side all the while.

As have the couple’s three children – daughters Darcy, 11, and Maggie, 8, and son, Roy, 5.

Rob Hodges after his open-heart surgery. Picture: Jo Hodges

“It was bigger than I thought it was going to be,” says Rob of the operation, at which point Jo chimes in: “Well, it was open-heart surgery!”

Rob had a leaky valve, which he was first alerted to 15 years ago.

“It had been monitored and it got to the point that it was time to get it done – because you want to have it repaired, not have a replacement,” says Rob, adding; “It was a big procedure in hindsight … they open your sternum with an angle grinder.”

Rob Hodges and Jo Fincham on the final episode of season two of Farmer Wants a Wife. Picture: Channel 9

Reflecting on their time on the reality dating show – during its second season in 2008 – Jo and Rob say they loved it.

Now screening on Seven, the then Channel 9 show was “more about the farm and the farmers and the lifestyle” than drama, Rob says.

They both agree FWAW was “wholesome” during its early run.

While that may be so, when asked if they shared love at first sight, Jo gives a cheeky response: “It was lust at first sight!”

“We were very lucky,” says Jo, referring to their instant chemistry on a speed date. “We could have chatted for ages and (our relationship) unravelled very naturally.”

While Jo and Rob had never met before FWAW, they shared mutual friends in Melbourne, where they both grew up in the same suburb, Hawthorn.

Jo and Rob Hodges on their wedding day. Picture: Supplied

Rob, who describes the FWAW experience as “an adventure”, says he and Jo tune into the show from time to time.

“We keep an eye on it,” says Rob, adding he can quickly tell which single city slickers have the potential to live on the land.

Down-to-earth Jo, of course, had it in bucket loads; the couple run a sheep and cattle farm in Mingbool, northeast of Mt Gambier, where they also have a holistic business, The Nourish Nook.

As the name suggests, it’s all about health and wellbeing – think yoga and pilates classes, a dietitian, counsellors and more to nurture the body, mind and soul.

Farmer Wants a Wife’s Jo and Rob Hodges, with their children Darcy, Maggie and Roy Picture: Jo Hodges

“It’s an asset to the community and wouldn’t be there if I hadn’t met Rob on Farmer Wants a Wife and moved to Mt Gambier,” Jo says.

“We both adore and respect each other … it’s a beautiful show. Farmer Wants a Wife shows our amazing country so beautifully and how farmers are the backbone of Australia. People often tell us we are their all-time favourite couple.”