Karl Stefanovic set to marry Jasmine Yarbrough while paying $420,000 a year to ex-wife

CHANNEL 9 star Karl Stefanovic handed over the keys to the $8 million dollar waterfront mansion he shared with ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn when the pair split, and now Stefanovic is believed to be forking out $420,000 per year to his former partner in support payments.

EXCLUSIVE: CHANNEL 9 star Karl Stefanovic is paying his ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn $35,000 a month as the price of their failed marriage.

Thorburn, who also took overship of the couple’s $8 million waterfront Cremorne mansion after they split, is believed to be receiving what equates to more than $420,000 a year.

She has also struck up an ex-wives’ club friendship with Barnaby Joyce’s estranged wife Natalie.

The pair were spotted at lunch recently.

Jasmine Yarbrough and Karl Stefanovic are due to tie the knot in December. Picture: Christian Gilles

Stefanovic is paying his ex-wife Cass Thorburn $35,000 a month in child support. Picture: DIIMEX

The monthly payments are to support Thorburn and their three children, Jackson, 18, Ava, 13, and River, 11.

Stefanovic’s payments dwarf the average pre-tax monthly salary in Australia of about $4800.

Channel 9 is believed to pay him a package of $2 million a year, plus bonuses, as co-host of its morning flagship Today show.

Both Stefanovic and Thorburn, whose marriage ended after 21 years in divorce in October 2016, were approached for comment, however neither responded.

It can also be revealed Stefanovic, 43, and his partner Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, will tie the knot in celebrity hotspot Cabo, Mexico, in December. The wedding comes nine months after the couple hosted a low-key “commitment ceremony” on Sydney’s northern beaches.

The loved-up couple held a commitment ceremony in March this year. Picture: Supplied

While invitations are yet to be sent out, it’s understood the same 20 guests who attended the couple’s Palm Beach soiree will attend the celebration in Mexico.

They include Yarbrough’s sister Jade and parents Cheryl and Bob, Stefanovic’s brother Peter Stefanovic and his wife Sylvia Jeffreys, his Nine colleagues entertainment editor Richard Wilkins and executive producer Mark Calvert, and Yarborough’s business partner Tamie Ingham.

The choice of venue has raised speculation Stefanovic could be tying the knot at his mate James Packer’s plush new Cabo San Lucas waterfront residence.

There is speculation the wedding could be held at James Packer’s new luxurious home in Cabo. Picture: Supplied

Stefanovic’s relationship with Yarbrough was first revealed by The Sunday Telegraph in February 2017 when the couple put on a public display of affection on a boat on Sydney Harbour.

They had first met aboard a boat cruise in December, 2016.

Thorburn, 46, gave up her career as an ABC TV journalist after she married Stefanovic. She broke her silence about their high-profile split in October, telling Woman’s Day that Stefanovic “really is dead to me”.

Stefanovic and his fiancee, a shoe designer, were sighted happily eating burgers with his children Ava and River in Neutral Bay yesterday afternoon.

It’s also believed Thorburn, who has a children’s book due out this year, has formed a relationship with Woman’s Day. A tell-all is anticipated in coming months.

However, Woman’s Day editor-in-chief Fiona Connolly said: “Woman’s Day has an excellent relationship with many female personalities, including Cassandra Thorburn, yet we do not have a current or ongoing deal with Cassandra.”