Influencer Elle Ferguson and her fiancé, former AFL star Joel Patfull, have left the upcoming season of The Block following a family emergency, with new details emerging about their exit.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the couple initially tried to stay on the show but departed after producers could not guarantee that Patfull could regularly visit his mother, Trish, who broke her neck in a fall. Without assurances that he could come and go from the Melbourne set to see her in Adelaide, they decided to leave.
Reports also suggest Trish may have broken her coccyx and fractured her wrist in the accident. After visiting her last week, the couple flew to Sydney but plan to return to Adelaide this week.
Ferguson, 36, shared a cryptic Instagram post of suitcases at Melbourne Airport with the caption: 'Wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing, family always comes first.' A Channel Nine spokesperson confirmed the departure, saying: 'We were surprised to have one of our new contestant teams depart a few days into filming... We wish them all the best.'
The new season, titled The Block Tree Change, is being filmed in the Macedon Ranges and will air later this year.
