Todd Woodbridge on his ‘toughest’ parenting moment and why he ‘never wanted’ his kids playing tennis

Exclusive: Todd Woodbridge may have conquered the court but as a dad of two, there’s one thing he’s still learning.

“I have to be aware of butting out. Because it’s not my journey,” the Tipping Point host tells nine.com.au as he recalls one of his toughest moments as a parent recently.

The tennis champion turned Logie winner shares two kids with his partner Natasha, wife of 31 years. His 23-year-old son Beau is a rising theatre star living in London, “working to pay the bills” and occasionally, reminding his dad that “parenting isn’t easy”.

“When Beau got the role of Evan [in the Australian tour of musical Dear Evan Hansen], ahead of the final show he was battling some issues with his voice and health,” Todd revealed of the moment last year.

“He really wanted to do the last week of shows and struggled.

“He was staying with us at home, he’d get up in the morning and test his voice with the vocal coach, and they’d go, ‘No, you can’t go’.

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“And the psychology that was happening in our household was so tough. He was hurting because you want to be there [for the show] but you can’t.”

Todd, 55, said watching his son step up and put on an incredible performance in the end was “one of the most resilient things [he’d] seen”.

“Because that week was really rough,” admitted the star. “I got very emotional because we at home had been through hell and back for him, but you couldn’t tell him.”

“And now I know how my parents felt when they were watching me in my career,” he added. “It’s interesting, he’s doing exactly what I did, just in a different form of entertainment.”

While it may not be musical theatre, Todd did leave Australia at age 24 to chase a career in tennis. Something, he “actually never wanted” for his two children.

“It’s hard to step out of your parents’ shadow in the thing they do well,” explained the 55-year-old.

“I think our goal as parents was to give the kids as many opportunities as possible and let them choose the one they wanted.”

His 25-year-old daughter Zara is “just about to be a fully fledged nutritionist”. Todd proudly shared she left home to go live and study overseas for a year.

She’s also “a gun golfer”, who’s played the highest level of women’s amateur golf you can play.

While Beau is in London trying to make it on the biggest stage in the world, The West End.

Back home in Australia, Todd is practising the aforementioned “not butting in” as a parent.

“When it’s asked for, you can help, and occasionally, you’ve got to step in and guide them. But I also know you’ve got to let your kids make their own mistakes,” he’s realised.

As for their future?

“I don’t wish them any more than what they’ve got. The rest lays upon them.

“They’ve got a good foundation and I think they’re set to be able to achieve their own goals, and that’s all you can do.”