Hamish Blake and Zoë Foster-Blake; they’re one of Australia’s favourite couples with an enduring love that, at times, seems to be based on who can get the funniest punchline in quicker.
He’s the famous TV and radio funny guy and she’s the best-selling author with a beauty business empire that is the envy of many.
Along with their two adorable children, Sonny and Rudy, Australia’s golden couple are a force to be reckoned with.
But before they were husband and wife or even ‘mum and dad’, Hamish and Zoë were simply mates.
That’s right; their beautiful, down-to-earth love story is built on a brilliant friendship that goes back decades, to where their romance first began.
How did Hamish and Zoe meet?
It’s a narrative we’re fed in many a rom-com; boy meets girl, they become friends and after a few relationship fails they realise what they’ve been looking for all along is right there in front of them – each other.
Corny as it sounds, that’s pretty much what happened when the universe brought this charismatic pair together.
The duo met at a media event when Zoë was 24 and Hamish was 23 and they quickly formed a friendship.
For Hamish, the attraction was instant. In an interview with Good Weekend he confessed to falling under Zoë’s spell pretty quickly.
“I had never met anyone like her – confident, hilarious, obviously beautiful and very full of fun and life. I’ve come to know it as the Zoë magic,” Hamish told the magazine.
However, Zoë admitted that for her it was more of a slow burn romance and there wasn’t an instant physical attraction on her end – “No offence, honey!”
What they did have in spades was friendship, a bond that saw them supporting each other as they dated other people in the late 2000s.
The pair even penned a dating book together, Textbook Romance, in 2009 and a year later, they were both single and realised something deeper had been developing between them.
The ‘startling’ moment things changed
Zoë quickly started noticing that she was missing Hamish a lot more than usual when they weren’t in the same city.
“It was quite a startling moment because he’d always just been firmly a friend, even brother like, to the point that when people were like ‘I think you and Hamish would be good together’ I’d be like [vomit sound],” she told Show and Tell in 2013.
“You know, we’d both had partners, and I’d been single for a year, out of a relationship for a few months, and it was quite organic I think.”
But they didn’t want to rush into a romance and ruin their frienship, so the pair began dating cautiously.
“You’ve got to take it slow, because there is no turning back. You can’t go back to that original friendship,” said Zoë.
Who is Zoe Foster Blake married to?
Hamish! Fortunately, they discovered they were even better as partners than they were as friends and after just a few years of dating they were ready to say “I do”.
Hamish and Zoë wed in an intimate ceremony in December 2012, surrounded by just 22 guests at Wolgan Valley in NSW, just north of the Blue Mountains.
And things only got better the following year when they discovered they were about to become parents, welcoming son, Sonny in May 2014.
Their family was rounded out to four when daughter Rudy arrived in July 2017, and it’s safe to say becoming parents has been one of the highlights of the couple’s romance.
In 2018 Hamish opened up about his refreshing philosophy on parenting, which is all about making memories.
“I’m a bit obsessed with the belief of going ‘if i was 80, what would I give to be back in this moment?'” he told Wil Anderson for his podcast, Wilosophy.
“I am 36, my kids are babies – and I just know I’d give everything. I’d give all the money in the world, to be back right here in this moment, because we will never get this chance to live this moment again. It makes every moment with my kids super valuable.”
He continued: “For me it’s about memory making. I really believe my core life philosophy is about creating the best memories and the best inputs for people around me, and for my kids.”
While the family are all about spending time together, Zoë also credits a little time apart as the key to their enduring love story.
In an excerpt from her book, LOVE! on news.com.au she revealed that “missing each other” is important for long-lasting love.
“To stay together you also need to be apart. So, go do something with your mates, or family, or self, and give yourself a chance to miss each other,” she said. “A night or two is even better. A week is sensational.”
Of course, like all Ausie families Hamish and Zoë have seen some sizeable changes in the last few years.
They endured the tough Melbourne lockdown in 2020 thanks to COVID, then in December 2020, they announced they were moving back to Zoë’s native Sydney.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Zoë wrote: “I moved to Melbourne from Sydney (for love!) (also the bars!) eight years ago with no set return.
“But the time has come, I’m heading back. And in great news for my kids, husband and cat, I’ve decided they may accompany me.”
She cited her skincare company Go-To as the reason for the move, explaining that as it expands, she needs to be near her team, who are largely based in New South Wales.
Did Zoe Foster Blake sell Go-To?
Zoë and her co-founders sold half of the business in 2021 to ASX listed beauty conglomerate BWX for a reported $89 million in 2021.
But just two years later, she and co-founder Paul Bates bought back their stake in the business for a fraction of the cost.
The reason? BWX went into administration in April 2023.
“There’s nothing like seeing your baby in trouble to get you going, I was like, “I’m here, I’ll protect my baby at any cost”, I felt very maternal, nothing has fortified me like this has,” she told the Financial Review in March 2024.
“Thinking that I might be out of the company next year [as per the original BWX deal] is now unfathomable, I’m swinging way back in.”
