Buddy and Jesinta Franklin Announce Surprising New Career Ahead of Baby No. 3

Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and wife Jesinta have lifted the lid on the surprising new chapter they’re stepping into as they prepare to welcome their third child.

The couple spoke to Stellar about swapping city living for an idyllic hobby farm on the outskirts of the Gold Coast, revealing they’ve officially gone bush and are now going into business together.

The former AFL star said the move away from Sydney three years ago was life-changing, admitting the intense attention became too much once they became parents to daughter Tullulah, now five, and son Rocky, four.

‘I absolutely loved my time living in Sydney,’ he told Stellar. ‘But when we had kids, things changed – it felt a little bit too chaotic there.’

He added that constantly being tailed by photographers made the city feel suffocating.

Jesinta echoed the sentiment, explaining that after briefly settling into suburban life on the Gold Coast, they quickly realised they wanted even more space.

The model and entrepreneur said visiting Buddy’s childhood home in rural Western Australia early in her pregnancy reminded her of the kind of upbringing they wanted for their young family.

She told Stellar: ‘When Bud says he was born in the bush, he was literally born in the bush… big beautiful ghost gums, red-earth roads – it’s stunning.’

After just a year in their coastal neighbourhood, the couple decided they wanted to live further out, away from neighbours and noise, where they could raise animals, grow fresh produce and give their children freedom to roam.

The family is now in the middle of relocating to an acreage property just weeks before their third child arrives.

Jesinta joked that she’s ‘crossing her legs’ to make sure bub doesn’t come before the moving boxes are unpacked.

Alongside the tree change, the pair have revealed a new joint business venture – and it’s one that taps directly into their renewed love of nature.

Buddy and Jesinta have become co-owners of Honey For Life, a raw, organic Manuka honey brand based in Western Australia.

The couple say sustainability was the major drawcard, with the brand focused on land regeneration and ethical beekeeping.

Jesinta said the decision felt like a natural extension of their values.

‘When Honey For Life came up, there was this beautiful ecology to the brand,’ she told Stellar, explaining that the business encourages giving back to the land rather than taking from it. 

‘Bees are so important to our survival.’

Buddy and Jesinta recently sold their lux Gold Coast property, Villa Casa. 

The two-storey main residence boasts a ‘rumpus room’, a media room, and a private living room.

There’s also a large pool and entertainment deck with an adjoining pavilion.

Design features include grand floor-to-ceiling windows with Spanish-style arches, timber floors and lime-rendered walls.

A second two-bedroom residence on the estate serves as a ‘guest house’ and comes with two well-appointed bathrooms.