- Jillian Billman and John Farnham will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on April 11, 2023
- They are both proud parents of 2 sons; Robert Farnham and James Farnham, 1 of whom follows in his father’s footsteps
- Jillian was a dancer when she first met John in 1971, since then, the couple has remained inseparable regardless of the challenges they faced.
John Farnham’s wife is known as Jillian Billman and they have been together for about half a century. They tied the knot at a very early age after John’s ‘love at first sight’ enchantment by the long-haired brunette.
Jillian was a dancer at the time of her meeting with the ‘Sadie’ singer but is now widely known to be the mother of Farnham’s kids as well as his ‘ride or die’ partner.
The marriage between both entertainers has been saddled with ups and downs but they still held it down for each other and have been together all through the journey.
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Jillian Billman Meeting and Marriage to John Farnham
John Peter Farnham was born on July 1, 1949, and when he was 22 years old, he met the woman who would go on to become his only wife and mother to his kids.
John and Jillian met in 1971 in Melbourne. He was a singer in the 1971 musical comedy, Charlie Girl and his wife was one of the performers for the West London production.
The Australian singer and songwriter first saw Jillian at the theatre backstage and instantly fell in love with her. Farnham describes what stunned him about the performer, detailing the color and length of her hair and her physique.
Jillian and John began a relationship about 3 months after, and this was when he was permitted to kiss her. The relationship happened effortlessly and they remained a couple ever since.
2 years down the line, on April 11, 1973, Jillian got married to John at St. Matthew’s Church of England, Glenroy, Melbourne. They had thousands of people waiting at the venue. However, their invited guests in attendance excluding family members were 200 people.
Jillian’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Billman were there with all smiles and so was her sister Grech Judy who was also recently married at the time. Judy was her matron of honor.
Other people who were present at the wedding were the parents of John, John Farnham Sr., and his wife, the songwriter’s sibling – Alan Franham who was part of his groomsmen as well.
Jillian’s close friend, Lynette Bateman was also in attendance and her daughter, Tiny Tracey Bateman was flower girl for Jillian. Darry Sambell was the best man to John Farnham.
Over the years, John has remained smitten by his wife and has even dedicated songs to her. 2 of such songs are Jillie’s Song from the Uncovered EP and Burn for You. They both live in Wonga Park farm, northeast of Melbourne.
They Welcomed 2 Sons Within the First Decade of their Marriage
The Burn for You singer and his wife had their first child in 1981, about 8 years after their wedding. They had their first child-son named Robert, in 1981, and 7 years later, they gave birth to their second and last child.
Jillian Billman Farnham and her famous England-born husband welcomed their second son, James, in 1988.
While Robert has taken in his father’s footsteps in the entertainment industry, James strayed away.
Robert is known to be part of a band known as ‘Rival Fire’ where he is acknowledged as a respected singer. He has even performed before a crowd of about 15,000 people.
Jillian Billman Farnham’s first son is also an actor and has garnered movie credits to his name. He has been in movies such as;
- 2002’s Queen of the Damned as Alex.
- 2001’s The Wilde Girls as Todd.
He was even nominated in the category of ‘Metal/Hardcore’ during the 2010 National Musicoz Awards.
Jillian’s second son, James, on the other hand, stays out of the entertainment limelight and is focused on being a helicopter pilot.
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Jillian Billman has been with John Farnham Through Most of his Difficulties
Jillian has been married to her husband for about 50 years. Through these years, they have had ups and downs which included financial crises and health challenges.
After the birth of their sons, the former member of the Little River band experienced what he refers to as his ‘lean years’.
Billman’s husband had serious financial issues that resulted in him selling their home and all they had. Despite this, Jill as she is fondly called remained with him through those times. The singer admitted that the situation put a strain on their relationship, but it wasn’t bad enough to cause a rift.
In 2019, Farnham was diagnosed with severe kidney infection after persistent pain made Jill insist he visits the hospital. This diagnosis prompted him to quit smoking and taking alcohol. He also had to cancel his world tour and was confined to recovering at home with his wife and sons.
As recently as August 2022, John Farnham was again diagnosed with Cancer after swelling in his mouth prevented him from sleeping easily. Jillian once again noticed the pain and insisted that her husband goes to the dentist to check it out. Upon his visit to the dentist, the songwriter was referred to another doctor who discovered that the swell was a cancerous tumor growing in his mouth.
He underwent a 12-hour surgery with about 26 medical staff on his case and was left in the ICU for weeks. While carrying out the operation, John had a significant part of his jaw removed.
A website was even created for fans and well wishes to be sent to him.
Despite all these, Jillian, Robert, and James have been with him. They have given their undivided attention to John’s recovery and were also saddled with the responsibility of updating the public on John Farnham’s health.
As of February 2023, Jillie’s Song’s singer was transferred into a rehabilitation facility. This shows that his recovery is going well and everyone is still very hopeful that he will be as good as new soon.
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