Phoebe Burgess Continues to Use Ex-Husband Sam Burgess's Surname for Children's Sake
Seven years after their divorce, the Australian influencer explains her decision to maintain a shared surname for her two children's stability.
Phoebe Burgess, an Australian influencer, has maintained her ex-husband Sam Burgess's surname seven years after their divorce, citing the importance of shared identity for their two young children. Burgess, whose maiden name is Hooke, stated that she made a conscious decision to keep the surname to protect her children, Poppy, nine, and Billy, seven, from experiencing additional fundamental changes during the separation.
"I made a decision (from back then) to this day: that the children were going to go through enough fundamental, earth-shattering change, but they didn't need to be one name while I was another," Burgess told Stellar Magazine. She added that she has been "rigid in keeping some things in place" to protect them.
Burgess indicated that the public's fixation on her decision to retain the surname felt unfair, noting that such decisions can often be made in the immediate aftermath of a divorce. The couple's split was reportedly complex, with Burgess revealing that they had reconciled multiple times before their relationship ultimately ended. She mentioned attempting to leave the marriage five or six times before finally separating for good.
The COVID-19 pandemic, she explained, provided an opportunity to stay away from her ex-husband and focus on her children. Burgess also spoke about the public humiliation surrounding the breakdown of her marriage and the discovery that details of Sam Burgess's sexual misconduct had become public knowledge in 2018.
Meanwhile, Sam Burgess has recently been in the news following the announcement that his current wife, Lucy, is pregnant with their third child. Lucy Burgess announced the pregnancy in July, sharing a video with her family, including Sam and their two children, Robbie and Mack.