Ben Shephard had no hesitations about leaving behind his £4 million family home in London to book a last-minute trip to Australia. Embracing his spontaneous side for his 50th birthday year, the This Morning star revealed earlier this week that he was heading Down Under with his wife Annie and their two teenage sons, Jack, 18, and Sam, 19, to "support the British and Irish Lions." Sharing his excitement at being at the game, he posted a series of family photos, showing once again how quickly his sons are growing in height. Standing at 5 feet 11 inches, Ben is already above average height for a man in the UK, but his sons stood several inches taller, with both Jack and Sam easily over 6 feet. They dressed in matching red jerseys as they cuddled up to their parents, who also followed the crimson theme with Annie rocking a V-neck knit and ruby nails. "Been a whirlwind of a first few days - The Lions Den was incredible - (spot the competition winner in the middle of the pic of rugby legends!) "The Suncorps stadium was awesome, the Lions fans were everywhere and in great voice. We can’t wait to get to Melbourne for more of the same! Bring it on!!!" he wrote. Earlier this week, the family were spotted grinning at the airport as they landed in Australia. Ben gushed at the time: "So this is just a little bit exciting!!!! "As part of my 50th year celebrations continue (have I mentioned I’ve turned 50) a proper bucket list moment, as we’ve just landed in Australia with the family - to support the British and Irish Lions across their tests!!!! "I’m doing a bit of work but mostly doing a lot of cheering, supporting and merch acquiring…Lions Suitcases, anyone?" before asking for Brisbane recommendations. Towering sons During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Ben Shephard revealed that during a recent interaction, one person "couldn’t believe" that he was related to his son Sam, whom he called "enormous". He joked: "They are questioning the lineage." Ben added he was "height-shamed" when his eldest son was born. Admitting Sam was tall for his age from the moment he was born, he said: "She looked at me and looked at him the day he was born and said, 'Let’s hope his uncle is tall'. "I was being height-shamed by the midwife the day Sam was born!" Fatherhood struggles Ben's family trip is a testament to his close bond with his children, which new research suggests is a difficult feat to accomplish in modern society. While parenting equality has come a long way, dads on average still spend significantly less time with their kids than mums in 2025, according to a study. VoucherCodes.co.uk quizzed 400 fathers on their family life and found that dads spend a whopping 9,986 hours less time with their children in the first 18 years of their lives. More than half said balancing work and family life was “difficult” or “very difficult," and 45 per cent of dads with kids under the age of one admitted they were rarely satisfied with the time they get to spend with their families. Ben's bond with his kids In Ben's case, he has bonded with his teenage sons over their shared love of exercise. Not only do they often work out together, but they also join him for challenges such as Tough Mudders. He previously opened up to Men's Health about how his day-to-day routine looks different now that his sons are older. "My eldest, Sam, is at university and Jack's doing his A-levels and basically takes care of himself – unless he needs food or clean clothes," said Ben, adding: "There are no pick-ups and drop-offs. "There is no running around after them anymore."