‘If we knew, we would have come home’: Kate Longbroek reveals the ‘psychological journey’ her family has endured during the past SEVEN WEEKS of isolation in Italy
Australian radio presenter Kate Langbroek, 54, is in her seventh week of lockdown with her family in Northern Italy.
Confined to an apartment in Bologna since March, Kate has shared the ‘brutal psychological journey’ they’ve been on during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday’s FOX FM’s Fifi, Fev & Byron, the mother-of-four said: ‘If we knew how this [coronavirus] would have played out, yes [we would have come home].’
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‘If we knew, we would have come home’: Kate Longbroek reveals the ‘psychological journey’ her family has endured during the past SEVEN WEEKS of isolation in Italy
Kate and her husband, Peter Allen Lewis, relocated to Italy with their four children, Lewis, Sunday, Artie and Jan, in January 2019 for what was supposed to be a ‘gap year.’ They have since extended their stay for another 12 months.
‘It’s been a brutal psychological journey, parts of it have been brutal,’ the media personality honestly revealed.
‘You’re forced to self reflect in this time, and you realise how resourceful and resilient you are, and what you rely on and need.’
Showing that she hadn’t lost her sense of humour, Kate jokingly added: ‘And I don’t like to learn stuff about myself, most of it is never good.’
Expat life: Kate and her husband, Peter Allen Lewis, relocated to Italy with their four children, Lewis, Sunday, Artie and Jan, in January 2019 for what was supposed to be a ‘gap year.’ They have since extended their stay for another 12 months
‘It’s been a brutal psychological journey’: Kate said show, and the family, has struggled at times as they were forced to self reflect
Kate went on to explain that her youngest son, 10-year-old Jan, only left the house for the first time in seven weeks days earlier to go with her to the grocery store to buy waffles for his sister Sunday’s 15th birthday.
‘We haven’t spent any money, apart from on food, for seven weeks,’ she said, claiming even her daughter had to go without birthday presents this year as nothing could be delivered.
However, Kate said she was lucky their children had each other during this time, as most Italian families only have one child.
‘We haven’t spent any money, apart from on food, for seven weeks’: Kate claimed her daughter Sunday(left) had to go without birthday presents this year for her 15th as they couldn’t get anything she wanted delivered
Staying put: Kate has been home schooling her four children for weeks due to the nationwide closure of education facilities
Kate assured the radio hosts that while some of the initial weeks were ‘brutal’, the family are now content and happy.
This week, Italy announced it will begin to ease its lockdown restrictions from May 4.
Kate said the initial restrictions being lifted would mean parks and gardens would reopen, but bars were unlikely to reopen until June.
Slow changes: Kate said the initial restrictions being lifted in Italy would mean parks and gardens would reopen in May, but bars were unlikely to reopen until June