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Forget couple’s therapy, a Brisbane radio host and his wife have found a new way to work through their marital mayhem: launching a podcast. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP

Matt Acton and Esther Acton. Photo: Instagram.

A Brisbane radio star and his wife are airing it all in a new podcast that will share their marital ups and downs, and how they juggle becoming grandparents in their 30s.

B105 breakfast host Matt Acton and wife Esther have found a new way to work through their marital mayhem: launching a podcast.

The pair have teamed up for ‘Underaged Grandparents’, a brutally honest and frequently hilarious new series about becoming grandparents in their 30s while still wrangling young kids, full-time jobs and each other.

“We became grandparents at 37 and 40 last year when our now 23-year-old son had his first child,” Matt said.

“It’s a peak into our lives while sharing stories from our listeners too.”

They even coined the term Underaged Grandparents themselves, though Matt admits he’s been pushing hard for a more niche nickname.

“I’m trying to get people to call me Grand Daddy. It’s not taking off,” he laughed.

Matt Acton and Esther Acton. Photo: Instagram.

And chaos, it seems, is guaranteed.

In one episode, a heated parenting standoff turned into an on-air fight after Matt dared to tell Esther to “calm down.”

Another had to be reined in when Esther, whom Matt calls “the wildcard” went rogue behind the mic, leading to a strict household rule: no more recording after wine.

“In the beginning I suggested we record at night over wine. That will not be happening. Sober is enough,” Matt joked.

For Esther, a pharmacy worker turned accidental media star, the show has become a chance to finally “correct” the stories Matt’s been spinning on-air for years.

“It gives me an opportunity to share my side of the stories he’s been telling on radio for all these years,” she said.

So what’s the goal? “We want lots laughs … We’ll share everything the good, the bad, the ugly and hope we have a community who will do the same with us,” Matt said.

“Even if that means exposing our most unhinged moments.”

Dream guests? For Matt, it’s Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce “as soon as they become parents.” Esther’s pick? Kris Jenner.

“I love how complicated her family is … but I bet her table is always full.”

MURRAY DITCHES DRINKING ON THE ROAD

At 55, Pete Murray is embarking on the biggest tour of his career, a 55-date national solo acoustic run spanning every corner of Australia.

But while most musicians his age might be slowing down, the Queensland singer-songwriter is ramping up, with one major lifestyle change.

“I’ve given up drinking on tour,” Murray revealed.

“It’s not very rock and roll of us, but it can all catch up with you if you’re drinking every night, it gets pretty rough.”

Pete Murray is embarking on the biggest tour of his career, a 55-date national solo acoustic run spanning every corner of Australia. Picture: Contributed

The So Beautiful hit maker kicked off his mammoth regional tour in the Northern Territory on May 9 and will return to Queensland from June 12 with shows in Bundaberg, Gladstone, Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Brisbane, where he’ll perform at QPAC for the first time.

“I’ve never performed at QPAC, so I’m very excited,” he said.

While the stripped-back acoustic shows offer an intimate look at his life and career, it’s life offstage that’s proven more challenging.

When asked about the hardest part of touring, Murray didn’t hesitate: “The food,” he said. “Sometimes there’s just no option but McDonald’s. You finish a gig late and everything’s closed, it’s tricky if you’re trying to eat healthy.”

Adding to the challenge is the time away from home. His young family remain in Byron Bay while he’s on the road.

“It’s always tough leaving the family,” he said.

“But my wife is holding down the fort while I’m away.”

The tour follows a busy month for Murray, whose latest project — a starring role in the feature film Blue Horizon — premiered on the closing night of the Gold Coast Film Festival.

CYRUS’ ROMANCE WITH RUGGED QUEENSLANDER

Move over Liam and Cody — there’s a new Aussie in the Cyrus family orbit.

Matt Southcombe, a rugged motorhead from Mount Tamborine in Queensland, has quietly struck up a romance with none other than Brandi Cyrus, the stylish older sister of pop icon Miley Cyrus.

Earlier this year, Brandi teased she was dating “an Aussie” and now Scoop can exclusively reveal he’s not just any Aussie, but a full-blown Queenslander.

Brandi Cyrus with Aussie boyfriend Matt Southcombe. Photo: Instagram.

Southcombe, who runs the custom Harley restoration business Mountain Choppers and posts to Instagram as @mattsouth, appears to have relocated to Tennessee — conveniently close to where the Cyrus clan is based. And while the pair haven’t made things “Instagram official,” Matt’s been dropping hints all over social media.

This week, the tattooed tradie shared footage of Brandi horseback riding on a scenic ranch, tagging her in a string of flirty Instagram Stories and fuelling speculation they’re more than just mates.

And honestly, at this point we have to ask: What is it with the Cyruses and Australians?

Miley was famously married to Aussie heart-throb Liam Hemsworth before briefly dating Olympic swimmer-turned-singer Cody Simpson. Family patriarch Billy Ray Cyrus tied the knot with Aussie singer Firerose in 2023 — only to file for divorce months later. And Brandi’s mum Tish Cyrus is now married to Prison Break actor and proud Aussie Dominic Purcell.

AMY’S TOUCHING REASON SHE MISSED ‘MILKSHAKE MAN’

Brisbane pop star Amy Sheppard has revealed the deeply personal reason she couldn’t join Australian representative Go-Jo and her brother George at Eurovision this week in Switzerland, despite co-writing Go-Jo’s quirky hit “Milkshake Man.”

Speaking to KIIS97.3’s Robin, Kip & Corey, Sheppard revealed she’s staying put in Brisbane as she undergoes another round of fertility treatment.

“George is over there, he’s flying the Sheppard flag and sort of mentoring Go-Jo … I wish that I could be there, but no, I’m back in Brisbane doing a few things,” she said.

Amy Sheppard undergoes egg retrieval surgery. Photo: Instagram.

One of those “things” was undergoing egg retrieval surgery earlier this week, a milestone she shared with fans on social media.

“After my retrieval, I found out that nine eggs were collected,” she shared on Instagram. “Now begins the wait: first to see how many fertilise, and then a few days later, we’ll find out how many made it to blastocyst … For now, I’m surrendering to what’s out of my control and taking one update at a time.”

Amy has spoken openly about the heartbreak of failed embryo transfers and the hope she’s holding onto.

“This round is going to be better, and we’re going to get more embryos and more chances of a little bubba,” she told fans in an earlier video.

Despite missing Eurovision, Sheppard remains optimistic, humorously adding during the radio chat, “Someone’s gotta try and make babies!” to which co-host Robin Bailey quipped: “And someone’s gotta ring Eurovision!”

Amy’s fertility treatment comes during a short break in Sheppard’s tour schedule.

Having just wrapped a run of shows in Europe, the band is now preparing for several performances across Australia.

Amy will reunite with siblings George and Emma for two upcoming Queensland shows, performing in Port Douglas on May 24 and Logan on May 31, before heading back to the US where they’re currently based.

SPOTS OPEN FOR ‘SWEATY’ BALI HOLIDAY WITH INFLUENCER

Gold Coast influencer Kayla Itsines has suffered some late scratchings for her first fitness retreat in Bali.

Itsines, who has almost 16 million Instagram followers, is holding the retreat with another Glitter Strip fitness guru Katie Martin at the swish Hotel Komune resort at Keramas on Bali’s east coast next week.

Fitness influencer, Kayla Itsines. Picture: Instagram

Guests will pay up to $4890 a head for the six-day sweaty “holiday” which will include daily workouts with the two influencers, massages, ice baths, workshops and seminars.

But Komune sent out an email to clients this week advising that, “due to last-minute cancellations”, three spots had become available for the retreat.

Komune is part-owned by Gold Coast entrepreneur Tony de Leede, a former aerobics instructor who founded the Fitness First gym empire before developing the Gwinganna health retreat in the Gold Coast’s Tallebudgera Valley in partnership with Hugh Jackman.

Fellow Gold Coast businessman and keen surfer Tony Cannon is also a Komune owner.

GOOD PUMP SECRET TO SPEAKER’S SUCCESS

Ever wondered how one of the world’s leading self-help gurus would prepare for a live speaking engagement in Brisbane?

Well, if you’re New York Times best-selling author and queen of improving your life Gabby Bernstein, it starts in the gym.

The motivational speaker was in the Queensland capital on Tuesday for her Manifesting Masterclass tour, and spent the morning at luxury Newstead gym Total Fusion Platinum.

US author and motivational speaker, Gabby Bernstein. Picture Supplied

She was spotted doing a workout and some stretching, before hitting the multimillion-dollar facility’s high-tech health spa for a little recovery.

She was then seen at hugely popular Newstead eatery Evra – dubbed the Erewhon of Brisbane – dining on chicken, salmon and beans, ahead of her 5.30pm Brisbane City Hall show that attracted a huge crowd of business women from across the state, including Nu Harvest founder and influencer Georgie Stevenson.