Bert and Patti Newton slam reports about their son

Recently it was released that Bert and Patti Newton were left ‘devastated’ over their son Matthew’s engagement to his girlfriend, 20-something Catherine Schneiderman.

According to Woman’s Day, news broke that 39-year-old Matthew had popped the question to his United States girlfriend however, a ‘close family friend’ told the magazine “Patti and Bert knew absolutely nothing about his relationship — let alone the engagement — and are worried sick about the future”.

You have to be wary of those ‘close family friends’, and Patti and Bert have slammed the report they are upset about their son’s engagement.

Entertainment reporter, Peter Ford, spoke to the Newtons personally and confirmed that Bert and Patti are ‘thrilled’ for Matthew, but they aren’t going to talk about it with the media.

“They’ve had a lot of offers to talk about it [the engagement] to magazines and they’ve said no to some very lucrative offers,” Ford told The Morning Show.

“They made a decision some years ago that they would not discuss Matthew’s situation, his life, his career, with the public.”

For the Newtons, Matthew’s engagement is a positive story, after their son has appeared in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in recent years.

“They have spoken to Catherine a couple of times on the phone and she seems to be a delightful lady, so all-in-all they are very happy,” Ford says.

Do you think the media should respect the Newton’s privacy? Or is this something celebrities need to accept when they become famous?