Life after The Block hasn’t been easy for the beloved tradie who became a household name

On February 24 2025, Keith Schleiger – aka Foreman Keith from The Block – posted an update to Instagram that left his 32,000 fans alarmed.

The photo he shared showed him sitting beside a hospital bed, a pair of crutches by his side.

“Ten years ago I had a full hip replacement. Last Friday I was diagnosed with an infection in that hip and I was rushed in for a three hour operation to remove the components that were easy to remove and those components were replaced. Unfortunately the infection has spread throughout my whole left leg,” he shared.

“Since the operation I have been receiving antibiotics intravenously every eight hours. If the antibiotics don’t work I will have the remaining components removed and basically have another full hip replacement. Fingers crossed the antibiotics beat the infection otherwise I’m in serious trouble.”

It was a worrying twist in the tale of the man who, for 16 seasons of the hit Channel Nine show, had become a household name.
Foreman Keith shared a concerning update from hospital. (Credit: Instagram/theblockinator)

What happened to Keith off The Block?

The Block viewers had already been left reeling by Foreman Keith’s exit from the show.

In May 2024, the Nine Network confirmed the skilled carpenter and builder would no longer be a full-time cast member in the 2024 season. Foreman Keith told nine.com.au he had made the decision in order to spend more time with his daughters Ebony, then 14, and Jasmin, then 11, and launch his own business.

The star said he’d struggle to commute to Phillip Island from his Melbourne home for the duration of filming.

“I couldn’t see a way of seeing my children more than once a week or something like that,” he explained.

“I wouldn’t have been able to commute from Melbourne, I would have to live down there. That was always going to be very hard and it just didn’t feel it was the right thing to do at the time – I don’t really want to spend three months without them.”

“I’m definitely going to miss it,” he added, of the show. “It’s basically been 20 per cent of my life.

“I look back and I loved every minute of what I did on The Block. I credit it very heavily with helping not only myself but my family.”
Fans of The Block were shocked by Foreman Keith’s exit. Credit: Channel Nine

Foreman Keith’s secret struggle

However, in a separate interview with Your Haus and Home podcast in December 2024 Foreman Keith admitted to struggling with difficult cast members during his time on the show.

“Imagine you’re a builder and you’ve got some contestants who’ve got no idea about building, and you’re giving them an instruction and they tell you to get stuffed,” he explained.

“All these amateurs have got no idea what they’re doing. We’re building beautiful homes for people, and I never got why people would argue with me. It just didn’t make sense. If I’m a subbie [subcontractor] going on site and I’ve got a foreman giving me instruction, you’ve just gotta follow it. There’s no ifs or buts, otherwise, you’re off.”

“I used to get grumpy on telly, but there was a reason for it,” Foreman Keith added. “ [I had] some d**khead just giving me grief, and it wasn’t warranted.”
Foreman Keith left the show to spend more time with his kids (pictured) and family: (Credit: Instagram/theblockinator)

What does Keith from The Block do when not filming?

While Foreman Keith wasn’t a full-time cast member in season 20 of The Block, he did make a guest appearance which raised eyebrows thanks to a major transformation – he was sporting a brand new set of teeth!

The star appeared in an Instagram video for Bec Dental in February 2024, in which he explained the reasons for undergoing a procedure to reshape them.

“I didn’t like my teeth and my smile, and being a TV presenter, it’s very important to have a good smile and good teeth,” he said in the video. “I was finding I was actually hiding my teeth from the camera.”
Foreman Keith before and after his dental transformation. (Credit: Instagram/bec_dental)
In May 2024 Foreman Keith excitedly announced the launch of his new business – Keith’s Bathrooms and Renovations – on Instagram

“For all complete bathroom renovations in Melbourne. Perfect bathrooms at competitive prices produced by my exclusive building network. Contact me on Instagram quotes and consultations,” he wrote, sharing an image of the business logo.

And yet fast-forward just 10 months and he was taking to Instagram again with a very different update after his huge health scare.

“I’ve been out of hospital for 10 days now and feeling better,” he shared. “My medical team hasn’t identified what type of infection I have in my hip yet and probably won’t now. The Alfred Infectious Disease team have put me on two types of antibiotics for three months and that way I have a 65 per cent chance of beating the infection. So far I’m handling the antibiotics pretty well and getting back to normality.”

Foreman Keith went on to say how he could wait to return to the golf course to put his new putter to the test.

“I also want to thank everyone who has given me so much support on Instagram,” the star added. “It meant the world to me and definitely lifted my spirits.”
Foreman Keith was a favourite on The Block. (Credit: Instagram/theblockinator)

Is Foreman Keith from The Block married?

One person sure to have been supporting the star through his health woes is his beloved wife of more than 15 years, Rebecca.

“I love my family dearly; they are everything to me,” Foreman Keith said in a previous interview with the Herald Sun.

“I met Bec 18 years ago in a cafe on Exhibition St, in the city. It was kind of love at first sight. A week later, we were together and we’ve never looked back. She’s definitely my rock. And I’m a big softie with my daughters. I find it really hard to discipline them. They tell me off, rather than the other way around!” he added.

How old is Foreman Keith?

Foreman Keith is believed to turn 51 in 2025. He told the Your Haus and Home podcast that he was enjoying his time away from The Block and “not having the stress of working 24 hours a day”.