Big Brother favourite Farmer Dave Graham drops major family news after becoming ‘donor dad’ to multiple kids – and reveals he was hospitalised from ‘burnout’

Big Brother star David Graham has revealed his “unconventional” family has expanded.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, David, or Farmer Dave as he became known after his time on the reality show, dropped the bombshell that his brood has grown to five.

David, 45, who came out as gay on the 2006 season of Big Brother, was the donor father to the children he shares with two women, both good friends of the reality star.

While he preferred to keep details about his children private, the television personality revealed the joy that becoming a donor parent had brought to his life.

“It’s been the greatest reward I’ve ever done in my life,” he said.

‘There is nothing comparable to hugging a child and being part of human history.

‘Know that you are not a failure. Knowing that everything ends with me, because that is one of the tests you go through as a homosexual.’

He continued, “My natural order is that I don’t breed, and since I come from an agricultural background, the only reason you exist is to pass the baton.”

David added that becoming a father had given him a sense of security and peace.

“Holding my five children in my arms makes me feel safe and connected,” he said.

‘It makes me feel peace and makes me feel part of something.

“It also makes me feel that, with the moms, I contributed to their feeling of connection and their feeling of being part of the endless chain of humanity.”

He continued, “When I look into their eyes, I tell you what, I see endless possibilities and pure peace and joy.”

During the candid chat, David also revealed that he was hospitalized after suffering “burnout” from a charity for at-risk youth he founded.

The fan-favorite reality show founded the RuffTrack charity in 2019, which aims to connect at-risk youth ages 12 to 17 with dogs to help foster responsibility and trust.

However, David revealed to Daily Mail Australia that he has since stepped away from the Sydney-based initiative he created.

He admitted he was overwhelmed by the problem of at-risk youth across Australia.

“To be completely honest, I had a complete burnout situation and was in hospital for six weeks,” David revealed.

“I kind of gave it my all to try to save every damn kid.”

The passionate youth advocate and mentor went on to admit that he was working around the clock to address a problem that continued to grow.

“We had kids from all over Australia coming to our program – we had kids from Alice Springs, we had kids from all over New South Wales and their problem was just huge,” he said.

“The problem was, I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to do whatever it takes: work seven days a week and burn the candle at both ends,’ and five years later I literally went broke.”

David admitted that 12 months after leaving RuffTrack, which is still running, he is in a much better place and is back mentoring young people, this time through the Cooee Crew initiative.

“I’m absolutely great now and I’m back working with what we call super high-risk kids living in full care situations,” she said.

‘The name of the organization is Cooee Crew and Cooee is that old and still used Australian way of saying: “I’m here, where are you?” That’s what it’s all about, saying, “I see you, I’ve got you, now we’re going to do things.”

David, who entered the Big Brother house twice, in 2016 and again in 2022, said he was excited for the planned 2025 reboot of the seminal reality series.

“Alright, I’ll be tuning in,” he said.

‘I think Big Brother is the greatest reflection that exists on society, it is a look at the heart and soul of Australia.

“There’s been a big gap between the last time they had this version of the show until now, and I’m very interested because there’s a lot of talk about Gen X, Gen Z people and it’s really going to be like, ‘Where are we now? as a society?”

‘It really represents a cross-section of Australia that really says: How are we doing as a people?

“And I’ve always seen the show as a window into Australian living rooms, which is why I did it originally, to really have a conversation and change people’s opinions about the sexual minority that I’m a part of.”

David’s going on air proved to be a watershed moment for Australian television, however he admitted he never thought his revelation would gain so much traction.

“I just wanted some dork to say, ‘Hey, this is me,’ and no one was doing it and I was like, ‘Well, damn, someone’s got to do it, no one else is doing it, right?’ Ok, jump up there,’ he said.

“I didn’t think it was going to be as big as it was, that it was going to be, you know, front-page news for months and months and months.”

He added that 17 years after his original appearance on Big Brother, fans still thank him for his outspokenness on the show.

‘Still 17 years later. Every day I get stopped on the street by people who say, “Hey, you changed my life,” whether it’s a father or a better son, or a better brother, just understanding that gay people are normal people.’