Singer Jessica Mauboy has tightly held the hearts of the nation since she first appeared on our screens in the fourth season of Australia Idol back in 2006, but who has hers?
Let us introduce you to Jessica’s husband and long-time love, Themeli Magripilis.
Jess and Themeli’s love story dates back to when the Give You Love singer was just 18-years-old, and the story of their meet-cute is, well, very cute.
First crossing paths at a nightclub in the Northern Territory, Jess revealed to Show + Tell in 2015, she was “dared” to go up to her now husband in a hilarious exchange.
“I was dared to walk across the room in the club and pinch this guy. At the time I didn’t know who he was, but my friends knew of him and thought he was a very handsome man. It was a dare to start off with … to go through the crowd and pinch his bottom,” she recalled.
Despite admitting he wasn’t her usual ‘type’, Jess and Themeli’s blossoming friendship grew into so much more. In fact, the 35-year-old admitted she ended up making the first move.
“I’m the one who made the move and ended up getting his number from a really good friend. I texted and said ‘I’d really like this to work, how about you?’ and I didn’t think I would do anything in my life like that.”
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the couple, with Jess moving to Sydney in 2009 the pair maintained a long-distance relationship for seven years before Themeli joined her in the capital city in 2016.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Jess revealed the distance almost spelled the end of their relationship.
“That song is about when we almost broke up. We were eight years in a long-distance relationship and we felt really apart, we weren’t doing things together, we weren’t creating a future,” she revealed.
“But we would never say goodbye, we couldn’t. We still always say see you later.
“Finally we worked out how to salvage our relationship and made the move together and eight more years later, we’re living this beautiful life together in Sydney.”
Is Jessica Mauboy Married?
After 13 years together, the couple announced their engagement following a holiday in Greece in 2019.
“The love of my life proposed to me in his family’s home town of Kalymnos, Greece, on the beach at sunset,” Mauboy shared with her Instagram followers at the time.
“We are so happy. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Thank you for all the love. BIG LOVE JM & Themeli.”
In July of 2022, the couple officially tied the knot.
The Darwin-born singer reportedly celebrated the nuptials back in the Northern Territory with a small church ceremony followed by a celebratory bash at Mindil Beach Casino Resort. According to Northern Territory Times, the reception included 300 guests.
A blend of their cultures, Themeli’s Greek heritage and Jess’ Indigenous and Indonesian heritage, she revealed to The Australian Women’s Weekly: ““It was a very cultural celebration … a cultural infusion. There were moments when Greek music started and Them was there leading everyone in the dance, because he grew up dancing and still dances traditionally. And then … my dad got everyone up with his traditional [Indonesian] dancing and a lot of our uncles and aunties got up on the guitar and started singing hymns. I was thinking: This is [what it’s all about].”
Do Jessica Mauboy & Themeli Magripilis Have Children?
Jess has spoken candidly about her desire to start a family with her now husband, Themeli, revealing their family had been laying on the pressure post-wedding.
“They’re like: ‘Where are the babies’? I want to, I always tell them. Yes, I’d love to, but now isn’t the time … I do long for that one day … I just haven’t come to making that happen yet,” she told AWW.
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