“She called 20 times a day”: How Vikki Campion relentlessly pursued Barnaby Joyce
More details have emerged out of Natalie Joyce’s first interview about her estranged husband Barnaby Joyce’s affair with his former staff member Vikki Campion.
In an unpaid interview with the Australian Women’s Weekly, Natalie claimed Vikki Campion relentlessly pursued the former Deputy Prime Minister, bombarding him with phone calls while he was attempting to work on his marriage.
Natalie said in July she joined her husband on an official trip to Europe to give their 24-year marriage “one last shot”.
“Apparently [Ms Campion] had given ‘her permission’ for me to go. I thought that he needed me by his side,” Natalie told the magazine.
“So I agreed on one condition — no contact with her for two weeks — but she was relentless and called sometimes 20 times a day.”
Within weeks of the couple’s return from Europe, Vikki was pregnant with Barnaby’s child. Vikki gave birth to their son, Sebastian, in April.
Natalie said she felt personally “taunted” by the child’s name, as Sebastian was her and Barnaby’s choice of name for a boy.
“It felt like another malicious taunt in a very long line of appalling behaviour,” Natalie said.
“He always wanted a boy and while the girls really are the epicentre of his universe, we had no chance, she was giving him a son.”
Natalie also revealed the toll the controversial $150,000 Sunday Night interview had on her daughters.
She said she watched the program with close family members and took several calls from her heartbroken and angry daughters asking why their dad did this to them.
“They were asking if their dad ever changed their nappies and, for the most part, I had to say no,” she said.
“It’s disgraceful to air such rot. Did they consider the girls were in the middle of exams?
“They’ve been pushed aside and it remains to be seen if that can be mended. There are many casualties here.
“Whether the girls will ever meet Sebastian, that’s their decision and I’ll support them either way.”