Search

Australia’s favourite couple! Rove McManus and Tasma Walton’s unlikely love story

Rove McManus and Tasma Walton have a penchant for keeping the intimate details of their relationship well under the radar. However, they have become one of Australia’s favourite famous couples. While they have both become well known figures on our TVs, they seem to have remained as humble as ever. Actress Tasma is best recognised for her roles in the TV WEEK Logie Award-winning drama Mystery Road, and Cleverman. Her husband has reached his own level of fame and has gone on to collect three Gold Logies over the years and is best known for his hit variety show Rove Live. The popular television program was suspended and renamed simply, Rove, in 2006 after the death of Rove's first wife, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/belinda-emmett-1974-2006-3274" target="_blank">Belinda Emmett.</a> The world-famous television host took a hiatus in 2006 after the death of his first wife, Belinda Emmett and returned to his show with a new name – simple Rove – in 2006. The former Home And Away star lost her eight-year long battle with cancer at 32-years-old. Rove and Belinda had been married for almost 18-months before his tragic loss. The star would find happiness again however, and in 2007 became dating Tasma. Two years later they tied the knot in a private beach wedding in Broome. “He's faced some very big challenges and has come through them with strength and grace,” Tasma said of Rove to the Herald Sun. “Rove McManus and Tasma Walton are pleased to confirm that they were married on Tuesday June 16 in a private beach ceremony in Broome, Western Australia,” a statement from the couple read when the news broke. “It was Tasma who proposed to Rove, having first asked his mother for her blessing.” While the couple is notoriously private, they have spoken a few words about one another publicly and have made it clear just how much love and admiration they have for each other. “He's kind, intelligent, generous. And he's funny, so joyous and playful, and he brings that out in me. We still behave like schoolchildren. We laugh a lot – little things, like when he puts on his cap and his ears stick out,” Tasma explained <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/my-love-for-rove-9488" target="_blank">The Australian Women's Weekly</a>. The happy couple welcomed a daughter, Ruby, in 2013, and were glowing with joy. “She's her own little person,” Tasma told TV WEEK at the 2018 Logie Awards. “She has a wonderful spirit and personality and is very expressive.” Scroll through the gallery to see the Aussie couple.

Beauty & Style

Rove McManus’s wife Tasma Walton opens up on family secret that changed her life

Despite her success as an actress, her marriage to Rove McManus and her beautiful daughter, Tasma Walton felt like something was missing because of the mystery surrounding her family heritage. "Pieces in the puzzle were missing," Tasma said in an interview with <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/tasma-walton-family-indigenous-history-49277" target="_blank">TV WEEK</a>. Tasma was raised by her mother in Geraldton, Western Australia, and explained that there were many questions around her heritage. Drawn by the curiosity about her identity, Tasma did a DNA blood test while living in the US with her TV presenter husband. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcYJSpPFGfJ/" target="_blank">A post shared by Rove McManus (@rovemcmanus)</a> on Dec 6, 2017 at 2:18pm PST </div> </blockquote> Unfortunately, the test failed to give her any further answers as the results showed that her background was 93 per cent British and seven per cent unknown. However, over the past five years, members of her family have been researching their ancestors’ history and Tasma has since learnt more about her family’s past. "It took me a long time to discover my Indigenous heritage," the 44-year-old said. "On my mum's side, my ancestors were taken from their clan and brought over to Western Australia. "They were completely separated and isolated from their families. They were made to become white, relinquish cultural ties and fit into a colonised world." Since finding out about her family’s past, Tasma has passionately dedicated herself to championing Indigenous stories. She has appeared in ABC’s Cleverman and the 2013 film Mystery Road, which has been turned into a series. “The more I understand my Aboriginal heritage, the more it makes complete sense to me," Tasma said. "My bloodline has been on this land for tens of thousands of years. So the more I learnt about myself and my family, the more yearning I felt to tell these stories. "I can't help but feel proud and want to explore that and tell the world about that." While filming Mystery Road, Tasma was able to return to Western Australia but found it difficult to be apart from her four-year-old daughter, Ruby. "It was hard," Tasma revealed. "But it often plays out like that with Rove and I. We have these chunks of time where we're single-parenting." Tasma said the distance is made easier by calling her husband and daughter on Skype. "Ruby has become very used to Skype," Tasma laughed. "But we just make it work. And sometimes it's nice to actually immerse yourself in the work, free from the duty and obligation of parenting."

Family & Pets

The real life family who inspired “The Waltons”

The Waltons was a television series that was based on the book Spencer’s Mountain by Earl Hamner Jr. Just when you couldn’t imagine love the characters any more, it turns out Earl based the characters off his own family. Earl Hamner Jr. was born in 1923 and grew up in mining town of Schuyler, VA, when the Great Depression hit. He was the oldest of eight kids and his other siblings were James, Willard, Paul, Cliff, Audrey and Marion. Earl Sr. lost his job when the New Alberene Stone mine closed in the 30s and then worked as a machinist in another town, coming home to his family on the weekends. Similar to his character on the show, Earl’s father enjoyed hunting, drinking and cursing. Unfortunately, he passed away before the show came out. Earl’s mother, Doris Hamner, was a religious woman who would really keep the light on until the last child was safely in bed for the night. She famously entertained fans of the show in their home, serving them tea and telling stories of her children. The home the family lived in had hardwood floors, lace curtains and a Jenny Lind bedstead. <img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7264852/the-waltons-in-text_500x334.jpg" alt="The Waltons In Text"/> Earl Hamner Jr. died in 2016 but brought the story of his family to millions through his book and then the TV show.

The Waltons: where are they today?

Who can forget The Waltons? We welcomed them into our homes and into our hearts in 1972 and were treated to nine seasons of wholesome family entertainment courtesy of John, Olivia, Grandma and Grandpa Walton, John-Boy, Mary Ellen and the rest. But where is the cast of the classic TV show today? Ralph Waite (John Walton) After The Waltons, Waite remained on the small screen with recurring roles on Days of Our Lives, NCIS and Bones. He also attempted to enter the political world, running for the US Congress as a Democratic candidate three times in the ‘90s but was unsuccessful. Waite sadly passed away in 2014 at the age of 85. Michael Learned (Olivia Walton) The three-time Emmy Award-winning matriarch of the Walton family, 77-year-old Learned left the show in 1979 reportedly due to a desire to avoid typecasting. Her next move was a starring spot in the short-lived but well-received drama Nurse, for which she won another Emmy. Since, she has appeared in soap operas such as General Hospiral and The Young and the Restless. Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton) Now 64, after leaving The Waltons in 1977, Thomas rejoined the cast for three Waltons TV movies. He starred in the horror film You’ll Like My Mother alongside Patty Duke and appeared in Stephen King’s It before returning to a mostly TV-based career, landing roles in dozens of TV movies and series including Law & Order: SVU. Jon Walmsley (Jason Walton) After The Waltons, the now-60-year-old Walmsley mostly gave up his acting career, save for a few guest appearances and roles in The Waltons movies. The talented multi-instrumentalist moved to focus more on music, composing, song writing and producing. He has worked with artists like Gregg Allman, John Mayall and Al Jardine of The Beach Boys. Judy Norton Taylor (Mary Ellen Walton) Post-The Waltons, Judy (now aged 58) was uncomfortable with her childlike perception despite being in her 20s, and in an effort to revamp her image posed for Playboy magazine. Aside from The Waltons movies, Norton Taylor has not returned to television, instead launching a chain of dinner theatres with her husband Robert Graves and trying to start a music career. Mary Elizabeth McDonough (Erin Elizabeth Walton) McDonough, 55, has mostly abandoned acting after contracting the autoimmune disease lupus. She has, however, returned to appear in all of The Waltons movies and has had guest spots on shows including General Hospital, Will & Grace and The New Adventures of Old Christine. She wrote about her experiences on the show in the book Lessons From the Mountain: What I Learned from Erin Walton. Were you a fan of The Waltons? What was your favourite show of the ‘70s? Tell us in the comments below! Related links: <a href="/entertainment/tv/2016/05/happy-days-cast-where-are-they-now/">Where are they now: cast of Happy Days</a> <a href="/entertainment/tv/2016/04/where-are-the-cast-of-mash-now/">MASH: Where are they now?</a> <a href="/entertainment/tv/2016/04/cast-of-dynasty-today/">Dynasty: where are they now?</a>

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Games