Gabby Epstein met James Roberts at swimming meet a decade ago
AFTER revealing they crossed paths a decade ago at a swimming meet, model Gabby Epstein says it was “weird and unexpected” that she began dating James Roberts after a shoulder injury forced her out of the highly competitive sport as a teenager.
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MODEL Gabby Epstein says it was “weird and unexpected” when she began dating swimmerJames Roberts after a shoulder injury forced her out of the sport as a teenager.
The 24-year-old Gold Coast model and the 50m freestyle star attended competitions together as junior swimmers a decade ago.
“I remember seeing him on the pool deck. He was good looking but I was 14,” she said.
“When I moved back to Australia from LA at the beginning of last year I ran into him at a bar and we started talking; we had a lot of mutual friends. It was weird and unexpected.”
Epstein, who boasts 1.7 million Instagram followers and travels the world for modelling, gave up swimming in Year 12 after a persistent shoulder injury meant she would need surgery if she had any hope of returning to the pool.
“I felt really helpless,” she said. “Even if I did have the surgery there was no guarantee … so it wasn’t worth it. At the time it was hard.
“It took me about a year to get over it and other opportunities came up. I never thought I would end up dating a swimmer.”
But she said dating Roberts, 26, helped her understand she had made the right decision.
“He loves it so much,” she said. “I don’t think I ever had the love for the sport that he does.”
Epstein, who arrived from Japan on Friday, was originally due to fly to LA on April 10, the day of the 50m freestyle final.
Eager not to miss Roberts’ birthday the next day, Epstein convinced the client to allow her to fly out on the 12th.
“I think I’ve been away more than I’ve been home this year. I had to be there,” she said.
The glamour couple will be regular guests at the Longines Records Club throughout the Commonwealth Games after Roberts was announced as a Longines ambassador.
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