Former Miss Universe Australia Erin McNaught faces her toughest role as a mother after devastating news about her son

Australian model and TV presenter Erin McNaught has revealed that her nine-month-old son, Obi Brooks Kotaras, has been diagnosed with a large brain tumour. The 43-year-old actress shared the news on Instagram alongside partner Stasi Kotaras, known professionally as Stace Cadet, on Thursday, June 12.

Obi, born in October 2024, began showing worrying symptoms recently. His parents noticed he struggled to eat, sleep, and hold his head upright. They promptly took him for an MRI at Queensland Children’s Hospital. A neurosurgeon confirmed the scary diagnosis: a large tumour on the right side of Obi’s brain.

“We are absolutely shattered,” McNaught wrote, describing the past few days as the “hardest.”


She praised the hospital’s care and said the family remains hopeful the tumour can be removed and that Obi can recover fully. She added that they are “so lucky” to have family and friends supporting them through the journey ahead.

Who is Erin McNaught?

Born in Canberra in May 1982, Erin McNaught first rose to fame as Miss Universe Australia in 2006. She represented Australia at the global pageant before launching a career in modelling and television.

She has also worked as an actress, most notably on the soap opera Neighbours (1985), The Other Guy (2017), and Drunk History: Australia (2020), and as a presenter for MTV’s Hot30 Countdown.

McNaught has three sons. Her oldest two, Evander (born December 2014) and Ennio (born 2017), are from her previous marriage to British musician Elliot John Gleave, known as Example.

In early 2007, McNaught began dating rugby league player Braith Anasta but left due to time constraints from filming Neighbours.

After a two-year relationship with Nathan Jolliffe, she became engaged to musician “Example” in November 2012, marrying him on 18 May 2013.

They welcomed their first child, Evander, on 21 December 2014. McNaught suffered a miscarriage in December 2016 and had their second child, Ennio, in 2017.

In October 2022, they announced their separation after 11 years together.

In 2023, she began a relationship with music producer Stasi Kotaras. Less than a year later, their son Obi was born in October 2024.