Josh & Elyse: Don't judge these two on face value

They might look like a glamourous inner-city couple. But don’t judge these two on face value alone - there’s more to them than meets the eye. Take Elyse - she might be a model with over 600,000 Instagram followers, but there’s nowhere she’d rather be than in the country with Josh and their dog Isla, riding her motorbike...

What made you guys decide to do the show? 

Elyse - We tried to enter once before when we had just bought our home. It was in a bad state - we couldn’t find a blank wall to do the interview on, so we gave up! That was two years ago now. Then we decided to have a crack again, because we’d finished renovating our house and we were ready for our next challenge. 

Whose idea was it?

E - It was mine. But it was a ‘last minute’ thing. We literally had 24 hours. And I was like, ‘Right - let’s just give it a crack. Who cares?’ We fought so many times trying to do the videos - and there were times we didn’t want to do it. But we knew in our heads we should.

/media/blog/IMG_0726.jpgThe young couple have survived their first home renovation in Melbourne's Coburg

How did you two first get together?

E - Josh was living in Byron Bay and I was over there for a holiday about four and a half years ago. It kicked off from there, and I dragged him down from Melbourne.

You’re far from the beach now, Josh!

Josh - Yeah, but it’s actually good, because as a surfer there’s no competition down here for a wave. But I do miss the climate up there. I hate winter - it is one of the biggest things I struggle with.

Were you friends before meeting in Byron?

E - We knew of each other - Josh used to live in Melbourne. 

How soon after moving to Melbourne again did you decide to buy a house together to renovate?

E - We moved in a year after. We had been looking for a house for a really long time and trying to find one we could afford, in the right area. We are originally from out in the sticks, but we wanted to come closer into town, because we knew there was a bigger return. The only thing we could afford was something that was falling down.

Moving in and renovating so soon after getting together - that’s a big gamble…

J - It is. And everyone was like, ‘Don’t do it! You guys have only been together for not even a year.’ But we were like, ‘No, we have set it up properly, so worst case, everything is half-half.’ And we did it. 

And you survived!

J - We did!

So if you can survive that, you can survive The Block...

E - Yeah, but that’s a whole new challenge….

How do you go with high-pressure/no sleep situations?

E - That’s the thing - I don’t work well with no sleep. He’s good on no sleep, I’m not.

Do you fight much?

J - Not really. Sometimes if I’m tired, and I come home from work and I’ve had a s**t day, I can be a bit aggressive. But other than that…

E - I’m pretty chill. I think I hold grudges more than Josh does, though. He will crack it, and get so angry - but he’s over it quickly. I’m like, ‘I’m still angry at you for doing that.’ 

/media/blog/48hr_Challenge-03.jpgThe glamour couple don't mind getting dirty

What do you think will be the hardest part about being on The Block?

J - Deciding on stuff quickly

E - I’m really bad at making decisions.

How are you going to carve up the work?

J - I will do structural stuff and Elyse will do the interiors. That’s pretty much how we worked on our build. 

E - We both did the interior though. We work together really well. We both bounce off each other for ideas. Josh has amazing ideas, but always wants my opinion, as to whether we should change it or tweak it. 

Have you guys talked about having kids and getting married?

E - I would definitely have kids now if I wasn’t modelling. I absolutely adore kids. And I reckon Josh could be ready for them, too. But not at this time, especially with what we are doing in our careers. We definitely need to wait longer. 

Have you had any challenges you have had to face, either individually or as a couple?

E - For me, the most challenging time was starting out in the modelling industry. It’s quite hard, and you really have to have thick skin to get through it all. There are a lot of people that can take you for a ride. 

It’s certainly a competitive industry…

J - And it’s fake too. We can be sitting in the living room, and Elyse’s putting a photo up on Instagram of her in a bikini saying, ‘Loving the beach.’ But I know she’s sitting here at home. But people are thinking, ‘Oh my god, she’s there again.’

E - He’s right - it is so fake. So you really have just got to travel your own road, and your own direction. And figure out how you are going to keep climbing the ladder.

Would you say Josh helps keep you grounded?

E - 100 per cent.

And at the end of the day, you get to come home to your boyfriend and your puppy...

E - Yeah, and a normal life.

J - I think the main reason she has got where she is, is how grounded she is. She’s motivated, but she has a good family and a great friendship group, so it’s good.

/media/blog/IMG_0514.JPGJosh & Elyse with their fur baby Isla

Read more about Josh & Elyse's stunning bathroom here and to shop their style click here.

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