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The reason Roxy Jacenko met Oliver Curtis on the tarmac instead of at the prison gates.

Hours on from walking free, rumours as to why Oliver Curtis was not greeted by his family at the gates of Cooma Gaol have begun to emerge. But far from being an ‘unloving’ decision, as some have labelled PR mogul Roxy Jacenko’s move, it appears it could be all part of keeping up one of the pair’s long-running stories told to their children last year.

Released on Friday morning after serving a one-year prison sentence for insider trading, Curtis was met outside the regional NSW gaol by an unknown man before eventually greeting his wife and the pair’s two children, five-year-old Pixie and three-year-old Hunter, onboard a private plane at a nearby airfield.

Roxy Jacenko with her son, Hunter and daughter, Pixie. Source: Instagram.

Initially, many believed the decision was one Jacenko made to spare her children the media scrum awaiting her husband, which could quite well be true.

But just as likely is the interest of upholding the story Jacenko and Curtis told their children one year ago when the 31-year-old was imprisoned, that Curtis had gone to China for work.

Speaking to Mamamia co-founder Mia Freedman about the 'China' decision earlier this year, Jacenko said, "If you have children, you have an obligation. I would forgo my happiness for my children's happiness."

Listen: Mia Freedman talks to Roxy Jacenko about life without Ollie. (Full podcast episode below). 

For them, she said, the decision was made because explaining the complexity of Curtis' case to small children would have been too confusing.

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"If I had a choice I would have done things very differently," Jacenko said. "I wouldn't have had children until this situation was sorted out because it's not right. They shouldn't have to be in this situation, lying to them saying their father's in China."

When Freedman asked Jacenko how the story was holding up, Jacenko admitted it was "exhausting" and that sadly, the couple's oldest child had struggled to cope with the adjustment.

Roxy Jacenko with husband Oliver Curtis in 2016. Source: Instagram.

"Hunter speaks to him on the phone and visited him in gaol once," Jacenko said, but explained Pixie "can't cope" with the separation.

"I won't do it to her," she said. "For her 10 steps forwards it's like 100 steps back... and again, my duty is to protect her."

But with all of this in mind, meeting their father on a tarmac and spending time together inside a plane rounds out the 'China' story nicely, and gives them some time to play with, if only for a little while longer.

As to whether or not the high-profile couple will continue on with the story now that Curtis has returned home, only time will tell.

Mamamia reached out to Roxy Jacenko for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication. 

Listen: Mia Freedman discusses career paths, cancer, parenting and gaol sentences with Roxy Jacenko.