NSW farmer Brad Purdy went on last night's Australian premiere of This Time Next Year with one goal in mind: To find a partner.
Before he does that, though, the 36-year-old would have to sit down with his family and tell them the partner he was seekingwas a man. Purdy had hid his sexuality from his family for his entire life.
In one of the most emotional scenes from last night's debut episode, cameras were with a visibly nervous Purdy as he sat down for lunch with his family in Baradine, NSW.
Brad reveals the big secret he's been keeping for so many years. Photo / news.com.au
He told his four sisters, one brother and Uncle that there was a part of him he'd never shared with them. He was gay.
"Oh, well ... the only sad thing is that you haven't been able to tell us," said one of his sisters.
Uncle Mick took the news like a champ, rising from the table to give his nephew a big hug.
"In this day and age, there's no difference. You're only on this earth for a short amount of time, so you've got to be the person you want to be for the time that you're here," he told him.
But across the table, Brad's brother Jeffrey was silent, overcome with - shock? Sadness? Anger?
The farmer reveals he is gay to his brother. Photo / news.com.au
Speaking to the camera, Brad admitted he was unsure how his brother was taking the news.
"Massive relief, my family handled it really, really well. Surprised about my brother - he didn't speak for so long. When he started welling up, I was unsure if that was anger or shock."
Turns out, it was shock, love and perhaps a little bit of guilt written all over Jeffrey's face.
"I had no idea, like. I sort of felt a bit to blame, because he thought I'd 'go off' or whatever," he revealed, tears still welling in his eyes.
Jeffrey says he feels partly to blame for Brad taking so long to come out. Photo / news.com.au
"I love him to death, and nothing will change with me. Love him, and always will."
The first episode of This Time Next Year certainly tugged on the heartstrings - and it was a ratings hit for Austalia's channel Nine, winning the night with 1.28m viewers.
