You may know David Genat as an international model, winner (and villain) of Australian Survivor: All-Stars, a competitor on Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders, and now one of the 14 Australian celebrities competing to win Celebrity Apprentice Australia (what a resume!). But, did you know he’s also a devoted dad to three beautiful kids, and the husband of Pearl Christensen, a movement coach and personal trainer?
In fact, he originally competed in Survivor to help out his wife, as she has autoimmune disease lupus — Selena Gomez is also diagnosed with the condition — and suffers from some health complications due to this.
That’s also the reason the hunk is competing on Celebrity Apprentice; if he wins, the prize money will go to the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. The Institute, whose mission is to “better diagnose, treat, predict and prevent disease,” according to their website, conducts important research on lupus.
The dad-of-three reveals on an episode of Survivor that not only does he do the wild things he does — like compete on several reality tv shows — for his wife, but he also does them for his children. Can we hear an “aww”?
“I have three kids, I love them to bits,” Genat said during an episode. “I try to think of everything I do as a way to help them.”
Rei, the youngest of the three children, is the offspring he shares with Christensen. His other two children, Winston and Hugo, are from a previous marriage to jewellery designer, Kathleen.
Genat, who lived in America for many years due to his modelling career, recently moved back to Australia to be closer to his boys, who live with Kathleen and her husband. Modern family or what?
Oh, and if you’re intrigued by his modelling career, it actually all started following a $50 bet, all the way back in 2002. According to his Survivor FANDOM page, Genat has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair and has been the face of Mont Blanc, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.
Much more than a pretty face and muscles, let’s see if that Survivor strategy stands in the Celebrity Apprentice boardroom — and if he can win it all for his wife.
Celebrity Apprentice Australia will air on Channel Nine and 9Now from Sunday to Tuesday from May 23.
