Luke McLeod, the meditation coach and former Bachelorette contestant, has opened up about a four-year fertility struggle that left him “confused, angry and depressed,” days after he and his wife, Brittany Bennett, announced they are expecting their first child.
McLeod revealed on Instagram that the couple had tried to start a family for four years. After a self-referred fertility test showed he had "0" viable sperm, he said, he discovered a small lump that prompted fears of prostate cancer before specialists determined it was a cyst. A specialist in Sydney initially told McLeod there was a roughly 40 percent chance of finding some sperm and recommended surgery to maximise those chances. After the procedure, McLeod said he was told "they found nothing and never will," news that sent him into a months-long depressive episode.
McLeod, who rose to public attention on Sophie Monk’s 2017 season of The Bachelorette, described the emotional toll of the diagnosis in his Instagram account, saying the experience forced him to practise the meditation techniques he teaches through his company, Soul Alive. He credited his wife with helping him through the ordeal, writing that Bennett reassured him they were "in this together no matter what" and that the challenge deepened their relationship.
He did not disclose detailed medical steps that later led to the pregnancy, saying only that Bennett eventually became pregnant. The couple surprised followers on Father’s Day by announcing that Bennett is expecting a daughter. McLeod and Bennett married in 2023 in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley after an engagement in 2022.
McLeod’s public sharing follows a trend among some public figures who are speaking openly about fertility and reproductive challenges. In his post, he described the period after the surgical news as "a pretty dark place for a few months" and said he felt "confused, angry, depressed, all of it," while noting that meditation helped him process the emotions.
Since appearing on reality television, McLeod has worked as a meditation coach and public figure. Viewers may also recall his appearance on Bachelor in Paradise, where he briefly dated fellow contestant Lisa Hyde; the couple remained friends after their relationship ended.
McLeod framed his account as a story he “never thought would happen” or “want to share,” but called it an "important one" in hopes that others facing fertility issues might find resonance in his experience. He encouraged men to take fertility tests, noting that they can be self-referred, and to seek medical advice when something feels wrong.
McLeod’s announcement and subsequent disclosures add to public conversations about male-factor infertility and the psychological impact of fertility diagnoses, while the couple prepares to become parents in the coming months.