Jessica Rowe is said to be by the side of her husband, Nine news anchor Peter Overton, as he faces the painful loss of his father.
According to a source quoted by Woman’s Day, Peter is “understandably heartbroken”, while Jessica is helping him take the difficult days “one day at a time.” The source said the couple are leaning on each other as they navigate the loss together.
Peter’s father, Dr John Herbert Overton AM, died peacefully on September 26 at the age of 88. His family obituary remembered a doctor whose “compassion and skill touched and saved so many lives”.
But beneath the latest update is a detail that reveals just how close Peter and his father remained for years.
The quiet ritual Peter once shared with his dad
Long before this loss, Peter had spoken about a remarkably simple part of their relationship.
He said he would call his father every night.
“I ring him and we chat about the day.”
Peter also described John as a man of “immense generosity of spirit” and called him “the most beautiful human being.”
There was nothing extraordinary about the ritual.
No special occasion was required.
Peter simply picked up the phone at the end of the day and spoke to his father.
Now, after John’s passing, that ordinary routine has become one of the most poignant details of their relationship.
Peter is grieving a father who was much more than a parent
John Overton was not simply known within the family as Peter’s father.
He built a distinguished medical career of his own.
He worked as a paediatric anaesthetist and held senior roles at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. His work extended into the development of intensive-care and paramedic services in NSW.
His obituary highlighted the breadth of his contribution, describing his compassion and skill as having touched and saved many lives.
For Peter, however, his father’s importance was never simply about professional achievements.
It was personal.
The man Peter could always turn to
A source quoted by Woman’s Day described Peter and John’s bond as “special”, saying his father was someone he could always turn to and whose advice he valued enormously.
The source also said Peter is finding comfort in memories of their time together and the many small reminders of his father that now surround him. These comments are attributed to the magazine’s source rather than to Peter himself.
That detail sits closely alongside Peter’s own earlier comments about their nightly calls.
Together, they paint a picture of a relationship built not only on admiration, but on everyday companionship.
John also played a part in the career Peter built
One of the most significant ways John influenced his son happened long before Peter became a familiar face on Nine News.
As a teenager, Peter was fascinated by people, stories and information.
His father was working at Royal North Shore Hospital, which at the time had a connection to Sydney radio station 2UE.
Peter has recalled asking his dad, when he was around 15, whether he could help him obtain work experience at the station.
That request opened the first door.
Peter began spending weekends at 2UE, working long hours for free, collating sports results and learning how radio worked.
He later recalled getting on air at around 17 or 18 and realising:
“This is for me! I love this, and I love stories! I love information.”
That early experience became the foundation of his journalism career.
From a teenager at 2UE to one of Nine’s best-known faces
Peter has now spent around 35 years at Channel Nine, having begun there as a junior sports reporter before moving through 60 Minutes and eventually becoming one of the network’s most recognisable newsreaders. He has also spoken publicly about how his early work in radio helped shape his career.
That makes the connection with his father particularly striking.
John did not simply watch his son become a successful journalist.
He helped open the first door that allowed Peter to discover what he wanted to do with his life.
Peter once put his father’s life on television
There is another remarkable chapter in their story.
More than two decades ago, Peter himself told Australia about his father.
In 2001, he presented an episode of Australian Story about John’s medical career as his father prepared to retire.
Peter introduced him with words that were simple but deeply personal:
“I’m proud to say he’s my dad.”
The programme showed the respected doctor through the eyes of his family and colleagues, offering a very different glimpse of the man behind Peter’s private admiration.
A doctor whose influence reached far beyond the hospital
John’s legacy extended beyond his work as a paediatric anaesthetist.
He played a role in the development of intensive-care medical services and helped train NSW’s first class of paramedics.
His influence was also felt through his teaching and his commitment to helping the next generation of medical professionals.
In the Australian Story profile, John spoke about medicine as more than technical expertise. He emphasised the importance of communicating with families and showing compassion to parents whose children were seriously ill.
Jessica and Peter have their own long family history
Peter and Jessica have been married since 2004 and have two daughters.
Jessica has also spent years in the public eye, first as a television newsreader and later through her work as a podcaster and author.
In 2025, she interviewed Peter on The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, where they spoke about his long career, life away from the newsroom and the values that have shaped him.
Now, according to Woman’s Day, the roles are very different.
Rather than interviewing her husband, Jessica is reportedly helping him through one of the most difficult periods of his personal life.
A family trying to take it one day at a time
The phrase used by the Woman’s Day source — “one day at a time” — reflects the uncertainty of the earliest stage of grief.
Peter has lost the person he once described as the most beautiful human being.
The man he could call every night is no longer at the other end of the phone.
And the father who helped him find his first path into broadcasting is now part of the memories Peter is left to carry forward.
According to the magazine’s source, those memories are already providing some comfort.
The biggest part of the loss may be hidden in the smallest things
There will be obvious moments when John’s absence is felt.
Family gatherings.
Milestones.
Special occasions.
But for Peter, there is one particularly quiet change.
There will be no more evening phone call.
No conversation about how the day went.
No familiar voice answering on the other end.
For years, it was simply part of Peter’s routine.
Now it has become a memory.
A father’s influence that Peter will carry forward
John Overton leaves behind a substantial medical legacy, a long marriage and a large family.
Peter, meanwhile, continues a career that began with a teenage boy asking his father for one small favour.
That favour led him into a radio station.
The radio station led him to journalism.
And journalism eventually made Peter one of Australia’s most recognisable news anchors.
But perhaps the most telling part of the story is that, despite everything Peter achieved, he never seemed to outgrow the need to call his dad at the end of the day.
Now Jessica Rowe is reportedly beside him as he faces life without that call.
For the moment, the focus is simply getting through the days ahead.
One day at a time.