To millions of Australians, Matt Shirvington is the familiar face who starts their mornings on Sunrise, bringing viewers the latest news with his trademark energy and easy smile.
But behind the television cameras, the former Olympic sprinter and his wife, Jessica, have shared a much more personal journey — one involving years of uncertainty, fertility struggles and a family dream they eventually had to put aside.
Matt has previously opened up about how difficult it was for the couple to welcome their third child. After already becoming parents to two daughters, they had hoped to expand their family again, only to encounter unexpected challenges linked to Jessica’s endometriosis.
They explored IVF, underwent surgery and eventually accepted that a third child might not happen as they had once imagined.
Then, nine years after they had first tried and put that dream on the back burner, something neither of them expected happened.
Their son Lincoln arrived, completing a family they had once wondered whether they would ever have.
THE DREAM OF A THIRD CHILD THAT DIDN’T GO TO PLAN
Matt and Jessica had already built a happy family with their two daughters, Sienna and Winter.
But at some point, the couple decided they would love to welcome another child.
What followed, however, was not the straightforward journey they had anticipated.
Speaking on Kidspot’s podcast The Juggling Act, Matt revealed that their attempts to have a third child had been unsuccessful.
“We tried and failed to have a third and let it go on the back-burner. Then 9 years after, Lincoln came along,” he recalled.
It was an unusually honest admission from the television presenter, who has generally kept his family’s private life away from the spotlight.
For the couple, the experience meant adjusting their expectations and eventually accepting that their plans might not unfold as they had originally hoped.
But there was another important factor behind their difficulties — one that would lead them to explore medical treatment.
JESSICA’S ENDOMETRIOSIS AND THE STRUGGLE THEY HAD NOT EXPECTED
Matt explained that Jessica had been diagnosed with endometriosis while they were trying to conceive their third child.
The condition had made it difficult for her to become pregnant naturally, adding another layer of uncertainty to their hopes of expanding the family.
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus. It can cause pain and, for some women, affect fertility.
For Jessica and Matt, it became an important part of their journey.
The couple explored IVF as one possible way forward, and they eventually had around 14 frozen embryos.
However, Matt explained that he did not believe infertility itself was necessarily the central issue in their situation.
Instead, he felt Jessica’s endometriosis had been making it harder for her to conceive.
“She went and had some surgery to clean things up and ultimately we got to a point where she was able to probably fall pregnant naturally,” he explained.
Even after the surgery, there was no guarantee of what would happen next.
Their journey had already taught them that starting a family did not always follow a predictable timeline.
And while the couple still had frozen embryos available, the next chapter would unfold in a way they had not anticipated.
NINE YEARS LATER, THE SURPRISE THAT CHANGED THEIR FAMILY
After their earlier attempts had not worked out, Matt and Jessica eventually decided to put their plans for another child aside.
It was a difficult adjustment, but life continued with their two daughters growing up.
Then, nine years after they had first tried for a third child, Jessica became pregnant naturally.
Their son Lincoln arrived in 2018, bringing a completely unexpected new chapter to the family.
For Matt, the experience was a reminder of just how differently life can unfold from the plans people make for themselves.
The couple had explored IVF and undergone surgery, yet the pregnancy they had hoped for eventually happened naturally.
Matt’s account is particularly important because it shows that their story was not simply a case of IVF finally succeeding. According to his own explanation, Jessica became pregnant naturally after her surgery.
It was a deeply meaningful outcome after a period when they had begun to accept that their family might remain as it was.
THE WOMAN WHO STOOD BESIDE HIM THROUGH EVERY CHAPTER
There is another part of Matt and Jessica’s story that makes their journey especially touching.
The couple first met when they were just 17 years old, becoming high-school sweethearts before eventually marrying in 2001 at St Mary’s Church in North Sydney.
Their relationship has lasted through the highs and lows of Matt’s sporting career, his transition into television and the challenges of raising a young family.
Matt has previously spoken about how much Jessica sacrificed while he was competing as an elite athlete.
During the intense preparation periods for major competitions, he admitted that his emotions were often tied closely to his performances.
“She went through an Olympic period in my life where I was competing and preparing for the Olympic games and my mood swings were massive because I lived and died by my performance. She worked through all of that,” he said.
He also acknowledged the support she had given him throughout his athletic career.
“Jess was there though my whole athletic career. She sacrificed a lot to support me…I have a lot of repayment still due there.”
The couple have experienced their own ups and downs, including periods when they separated and later reconciled.
Matt has said that learning to accept one another and allowing each other to be themselves has been central to their lasting relationship.
“We’re very accepting of each other, but we’ve also lived through a lot,” he explained.
After more than two decades of marriage, their story is one of growing together through different stages of life, rather than simply sharing the happiest moments.
THE FAMILY OF FOUR BECOMES FIVE
Today, Matt and Jessica are proud parents of three children: daughters Sienna and Winter, and their youngest child, Lincoln.
The nine-year age gap between their middle child and Lincoln has created a rather different family dynamic.
In an interview with 7NEWS in August 2025, Matt spoke about how much his approach to parenting had changed over the years.
When his two daughters were younger, he admitted he had been more impatient about waiting for them to reach certain developmental milestones.
With Lincoln, however, he has become much more relaxed.
He explained that having older siblings around has also given his youngest son the benefit of learning from their experiences.
“The benefit my son gets is the independence and understanding of a more mature sibling,” he said.
Rather than worrying about whether Lincoln was reaching particular milestones quickly enough, Matt now takes a more laid-back approach.
He has also spoken about how much he enjoys watching all three children develop their own interests and personalities.
The arrival of Lincoln did not simply add another child to the family. It brought a new dynamic that the couple had once thought might never become part of their lives.
THE UNEXPECTED CHAPTER THAT MADE THEM SEE FAMILY DIFFERENTLY
Despite his demanding career on Sunrise, Matt has repeatedly made it clear that family remains one of his greatest priorities.
His life today looks very different from the years when he was focused almost entirely on sprinting and international competitions.
He has moved from representing Australia on the Olympic stage to becoming one of the country’s best-known breakfast television personalities.
But when he speaks about his personal life, it is often the simple moments with Jessica and their children that mean the most.
In another interview, he explained that watching his children discover their own passions was one of the most rewarding parts of fatherhood.
He also spoke about the importance of making time together despite the demands of their busy professional lives.
For a couple who once had to put aside their hope of having a third child, those everyday family moments carry an especially personal meaning.
A NINE-YEAR WAIT — AND A REMINDER THAT LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS FOLLOW THE PLAN
Looking back, Matt’s story is about much more than welcoming another child.
It is about a couple who had to confront an unexpected fertility challenge, explore medical options and eventually accept that the future might look different from what they had imagined.
They did not know that nine years after first trying for a third child, they would find themselves welcoming Lincoln naturally.
Matt has never suggested that the experience was easy, nor that every couple facing similar difficulties will have the same outcome.
But his willingness to talk about Jessica’s endometriosis, their IVF journey and the unexpected arrival of their youngest son has offered an honest glimpse into a part of family life that many people rarely discuss publicly.
For Matt and Jessica, the arrival of Lincoln was not simply another happy family milestone.
It was the unexpected fulfilment of a dream they had once put aside.
And perhaps that is what makes his words so memorable:
“We tried and failed to have a third and let it go on the back-burner. Then 9 years after, Lincoln came along.”
Sometimes, the most meaningful chapters of a family’s story arrive long after they have stopped expecting them.