You Know That “Head vs Heart” Choice? David and Lisa Campbell Actually Took It

Have you ever talked yourself out of something big because it sounded “unrealistic” on paper new city, new partner, new life and then spent years wondering what might’ve happened if you’d just gone with your gut?

In this episode of Love Stories hosted by our Deputy Editor Tiffany Dunk, David and Lisa Campbell rewind to the moment they met by chance in Melbourne him in a musical with Magda Szubanski, her in a serious UK theatre production—and let us into the slightly unhinged decision that followed: three weeks of knowing each other, then a one‑way ticket across the world. With Magda playing fairy godmother, an email about “crumbs off love’s table” that changed everything, and a Neighbours‑era Angry Anderson cameo, it’s the kind of meet‑cute that should not have worked…and yet somehow absolutely did.

They talk honestly about what came after the rom‑com montage: visas, no career safety net, tiny apartments, call‑centre jobs, homesickness, therapy and the pressure of knowing “I moved countries for you, so we really need to get this right.” There’s the mafia‑movie Yum Cha where Lisa faces the full Barnes clan, the moment David realises he actually likes himself more with her in his life, and the years of parenting that followed twins included that felt, in their words, like being strapped into a rapids ride together, just adding more people to the boat.

You’ll hear:

• The full story of how Magda Szubanski became their accidental Cupidand why an email from her pushed Lisa to fight for something her head had already written off.

• What it’s really like to throw in your whole life for love in your 20s, and how they handled the resentment, money stress and identity loss that followed.

• The therapy tools that stopped their early fights from derailing the relationship, and how they still use them 20 years and three kids later.

• The “audition” Lisa had to pass with Mahalia Barnes and a table of soul singers, and how the Barnes and Campbell families ended up holidaying and living side‑by‑side.

• How they’ve kept their relationship feeling like a whirlwind romance, even as life has become school runs, work trips and the chaos of a big, blended clan

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should listen to your head or your heart, or if you’re in the middle of your own scary leap and need proof it can actually work out, this is your episode

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

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Credits: 

Edited by Phoebe Zukowski -Wallace 

Production by Thomas Crnkovic  

Our wonderful Australian Women’s Weekly team  

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