‘I keep a lot of my life private': Model Madeline Holtznagel breaks silence on baby with Justin Hemmes

News.com.au

25-04-2025

With just weeks to go until Madeline Holtznagel welcomes her first child, a
boy, with hospitality billionaire Justin Hemmes, the 28-year-old model is busy getting ready for their new arrival.
'I always thought I was going to have a boy. I knew I was going to be a boy mum,' she tells Stellar. 'Justin has two beautiful little girls [from his previous relationship with Kiwi model Kate Fowler] so having a boy, it's like a whole new journey together. [The baby] is going to be his little best mate.'
While Holtznagel's relationship with the 52-year-old Merivale boss catapulted her into the spotlight in 2019, she's tried to keep her private life just that.
Her friends and family were told about the pregnancy, but it's only now, as she enters the final trimester, that she's speaking publicly about the exciting chapter of her life.
'I keep a lot of my life private and I don't share a lot online anyway, so [being pregnant] wasn't really something I was going to share online.
'I haven't posted about it and it's been nice to have some quiet time off Instagram,' she says. 'But obviously because I am in the public eye and we do get photographed quite a lot, I think now I'm at this point in my pregnancy where it's nice for me to be able to share some nice photos.'
Holtznagel's older sister Simone, 31, who shot to fame on the 2011 season of reality series Australia's Next Top Model, recently celebrated her daughter Gia's first birthday. And since their eldest sister Anna, 33, has three children of her own, Holtznagel has had plenty of opportunities for hands-on practice.
'I've been well-trained with the little bubbas. I've been helping out my sisters for the last couple of years,' she says, adding that her siblings' support and advice has already been invaluable.
'I call them and ask all those little questions that you have, and they gave me a list of things to get and what things you don't need. Honestly, what do people do if you don't have sisters or friends to ask?
'You grow up with your siblings your whole life and then you go into this whole new parent journey together, it's beautiful.
'It's been so nice having them to just call and ask – and I know that the phone calls aren't going to stop.'
As well as Holtznagel being surrounded by nieces and a nephew, she spends time with Hemmes' daughters Alexa, 9, and Saachi, 7.
'The little girls, you know, they've been asking, 'Please, can we have a little brother or sister?' They've been probably asking for a year now for a sibling. The timing was just right. It was definitely a planned thing,' she reveals.
'As corny as it sounds, I think I was born to be a mum. It's just something I've always wanted to do. I'm very maternal.'
What has been a bit harder to adapt to has been dressing for her rapidly changing body.
'It's beautiful how your body changes when pregnant but it's also hard. I've had to buy everything, even underwear. It's a massive change,' Holtznagel says.
'With my pregnancy style, I'd love to say it's cool but because it's been so hot in Sydney, if I'm at home, I'm in a bikini top and shorts. I'm definitely going more for comfort. And being able to breathe.'
For her special pregnancy photo shoot, Holtznagel welcomed Stellar into The Hermitage, the Hemmes family's heritage-listed waterfront home on Sydney Harbour.
'It was so special because obviously we have our family events here and Justin has lived here his whole life,' she says of the experience.
'And this is where our little boy is going to grow up so it was really special to know that he's inside my belly and we're taking the photos – and then [it's] not long until he'll be here running around.'
Holtznagel took a step back from modelling when she started dating Hemmes, but since falling pregnant, she's found herself doing ecommerce shoots. 'Which is funny,' she explains. 'Because I haven't done much in the last couple of years.'
So her shoot with Stellar provided a welcome return to her old vocation. 'When you've got the A-team, amazing clothes and beautiful jewellery from House of K'DOR, I felt like a million dollars. I felt so beautiful.'
Asked if her future could hold more modelling, she replies: 'My focus is on bubba at the moment and being the best mum to him. He's my main priority. But never say never.'
See the full shoot with Madeline Holtznagel in Stellar tomorrow, inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).