"Someone had to protect her." Karl Stefanovic's son has spoken about his parents' divorce.

Jackson Thorburn has spoken about his parents Karl Stefanovic and Cassandra Thorburn’s divorce in a new interview.

The 19-year-old, who changed his Instagram handle to his mother’s surname last year, told Woman’s Day magazine that the breakdown of their marriage in 2016 has changed his perception of both of them.

Speaking about Karl’s decision to separate from Cassandra after 21 years together, Jackson was pragmatic.

“What’s done is done.

“Despite what happened, he’s still my dad.”

But Jackson was more expressive about his mother.

“My mother is the most extraordinary person, and what she has weathered in these past few years, no one deserves the backlash,” he said.

 

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On footy night I prefer no fuss moose in the hair. @jackson_stefanovic loves a soft blow wave.

A post shared by karl stefanovic (@karlstefanovic_) on Jun 25, 2016 at 1:57am PDT

Explaining how “incredibly destructive” the public aftermath of the separation was, Jackson added he could see his mum suffering.

“Someone had to step up to protect her, and I knew that person was me.”

Of Cassandra’s decision to join the cast of Dancing With the Stars, Jackson was supportive, if somewhat concerned about his mum’s dancing abilities.

“I was brutally honest with her, but it actually made her more determined!” he said.

Jackson also spoke glowingly about  his maternal grandfather, the late Max Thorburn, describing him as “a man of integrity.”

He added, “While I may be a Stefanovic, I’m so proud of my Thorburn genes.”

 

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How blessed am I to be loved and respected by this incredible young man… Jackson’s advice in Woman’s Day today is to just feel the dance. ????❤️????????

A post shared by Cassandra Thorburn (@cassthorburn) on Mar 10, 2019 at 4:24pm PDT

Cassandra expressed thanks for the interview on her Instagram on Monday, posting a photo of her with Jackson with the caption, “How blessed am I to be loved and respected by this incredible young man?”

Jackson was equally effusive about his mum in the interview, calling her “the world’s best mother”, and leaving the reader with no doubt with which parent the majority of his admiration lies.

It’s not the first time that Jackson has spoken publicly about his father since the separation. In December 2018, after he had travelled to Mexico for his father’s wedding to 34-year-old shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, with his siblings Ava, 13, and River, 12, Jackson told the Daily Mail that the event was “sh*t.”

“My brother and sister didn’t want to go, and I was not going to leave them on their own so I looked after them,” he said.

“I figure at their age they may not have an understanding of watching a parent get re-married… it’s just a parent moving on.”

Defending himself against the accusation that he and his girlfriend were too drunk to stay at the wedding, Jackson offered his own explanation for his early exit: “We left because it was sh*t.”

What do you think of Jackson’s perspective? Tell us in the comments below.