Shaun Hampson reveals family bond in tough year for fiance Megan Gale
Former Tiger Shaun Hampson says family time has never been more important as coronavirus restrictions bite and his supermodel fiance Megan Gale mourns the loss of her brother.
Entertainment
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Shaun Hampson and son River are following in mum Megan Gale’s fashionable footsteps featuring in a campaign for David Jones.
Gale was synonymous with the department store for a decade as the glamour face of the brand, and now a second generation is stepping in.
“We just had such fun on the shoot, they told us to fly the kite around and have a bit of fun. River (aged 6) had a ball. It didn’t feel like work at all,” Hampson says.
“He’s certainly comfortable being in front or around the camera, even more so than myself or his mum.”
Hampson says the Father’s Day shoot resonated even more knowing the affection Gale had for the many years she spent representing the brand.
“She’s got so many fond memories and she always tells me about some of the favourite shoots she did around the world were for David Jones. She’s got the fondest memories of it all, and being connected with that, obviously there’s myself now being sort of connected, but then River is as well. It’s like a second generation, which is really cool.”
The former AFL footballer and Survivor star says the family, which includes two-and-a-half year old Rosie, is doing its best to get through the latest lockdown but admits they took a hit when Gale’s brother Jason went missing and was subsequently found dead in WA in July.
“That happening at any time isn’t a great feeling but at a time like this, but you know the family has dealt with it in their own way and so now it’s about moving on,” Hampson says.
Gale attended the funeral in Perth last week for her brother, who was found dead in bushland on July 21 in non-suspicious circumstances.
“Megan went on her own, we didn’t think it was wise to take the kids over at a time like this so she went over,” Hampson says.
“She had the full two weeks quarantine in the hotel in Perth, she did the whole shebang, which is hard when you’re grieving as well.”
Hampson is helping Gale work on her Mindful Life skin care range for babies, but the couple has had to shut their Ascot Food Store due to the strict lockdown restrictions.
“We’ve had to temporarily close down, that’s been a bit disappointing that it got to a stage where we do have to close down. Luckily most of our staff are on Jobkeeper, which definitely helps, but at the same time they want to be working, we want to be working, we want the cafe up and running,” he says.
“But it just can’t be at the moment. Our business model doesn’t do well with take away, we’re sort of on the fancy side when it comes to food and a lot of our options don’t do well takeaway as opposed to a lot of other places where takeaway model works particularly well for them.”
While Father’s Day will be very different this year due to the restrictions, Hampson is just looking forward to spending time with Gale and their children.
“When you’re a kid it’s one thing and when you become a father it changes into a completely other thing,” he says.
“My dad passed away from prostate cancer in 2014 so it sort of holds a little bit more weight for me because it’s a time when, not only do I get to spend the day with my kids and they say, in the best way possible as they can at their age, thanks for being our dad and for all that you do. But it’s also a time to reflect on my dad, so it’s got multi-layers to it for me and for a lot of people.”
Hampson and Gale have been together for 10 years and engaged for three, but have no immediate plans to tie the knot.
“We haven’t really talked about it, we have just both had so much on our plates and then 2020 has thrown another curveball. When the time is right the time’s right, we don’t have a day, we don’t have a time, but we’ll know when it’s right,” he says.
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