POWERLESS ALERT! Jacqui Purvis Officially Goes Public With Ethan Browne — And Fans Can’t Get Past His Married Past

Summer Bay may be all about secrets, but this one has exploded far beyond the bay. Home and Away favourite Jacqui Purvis has officially gone public with her new romance, confirming her relationship with Ethan Browne — and the internet is already in meltdown mode over one very complicated detail: his previous married life.

After weeks of whispers, blurred paparazzi snaps and “just friends” denials, Jacqui finally shut down speculation by stepping out hand-in-hand with Ethan at a low-key Sydney event. The couple looked relaxed, close and undeniably smitten — a far cry from the secrecy that had surrounded them for months. But while some fans rushed to celebrate the actress’s happiness, others were left stunned by the timing of the reveal.

Ethan Browne, a private figure who has largely stayed out of the spotlight, is known to have been married until relatively recently. And that fact alone has sent social media into a frenzy, with questions flying faster than spoilers before a season finale.

Insiders insist there’s more nuance than the headlines suggest. According to sources close to the pair, Ethan’s marriage had ended well before his relationship with Jacqui began. “There was a clear separation,” one insider claims. “This wasn’t a scandal behind closed doors. It just looks messy from the outside because everything became public all at once.”

Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from feeling blindsided. Jacqui, who has built a fiercely loyal following thanks to her emotional performances and down-to-earth off-screen persona, is now facing her most intense public scrutiny yet. For an actress who has kept her personal life tightly guarded, going public with such a loaded backstory was always going to ignite debate.

What’s striking is how calm Jacqui appears amid the noise. Those close to her say the decision to go public was deliberate — and overdue. “She was tired of hiding,” a friend reveals. “She’s happy, she’s in love, and she didn’t want to live in fear of someone else telling her story first.”

Fans have also noticed a shift in Jacqui’s recent interviews and public appearances — more confidence, more ease, a quiet glow that suggests this relationship is grounding her rather than shaking her. Whether that will soften public opinion remains to be seen.

For now, the couple are keeping their cards close. Neither Jacqui nor Ethan has addressed the backlash directly, choosing instead to let the images — and their chemistry — speak for themselves. But in the world of Home and Away fandom, silence is never neutral.

Is this the beginning of Jacqui’s happiest chapter yet? Or will the shadow of Ethan’s past continue to loom large over their future?

One thing is certain: Summer Bay has nothing on real life — and this storyline is far from over.