Swimmer Grant Hackett ‘extremely happy’ in new relationship
The long road back for Grant Hackett has become notably smoother, with the once-troubled swimmer confirming he has a new girlfriend.
The long road back for Grant Hackett has become notably smoother, with the once-troubled swimmer confirming he has a new girlfriend.
Two years on since his very public meltdown on the Gold Coast, which earned Hackett a lengthy good-behaviour bond and black eye courtesy of his brother Craig, the
38-year-old former swimmer emerged in his new home city of Melbourne on Saturday with his new love, acclaimed vegan chef Sharlene Fletcher.
The couple, who it is understood met several years ago through mutual friends, recently moved into Hackett’s East Melbourne pad together and are believed to be discussing marriage after just six months of dating.
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Approached on Saturday, Hackett said he didn’t want to “go into too much detail” about his new relationship but did admit he and his lifestyle-guru gal were “extremely happy”.
“I am a very lucky guy, that’s for sure,” said Hackett, who continues to share custody of his two children — twins Jagger and Charlize, 9 — with ex-wife Candice Alley.
“I don’t like to share too much with the media about my love life but Sharlene is terrific,” Hackett said.
“We have known each other a long time and decided to make things a bit more serious recently.
“Beyond that, all I can say is she is a beautiful person inside and out.”
And in other good news, the five-time Olympic medallist has also mended his relationship with his brother after that now-infamous incident on the Gold Coast in February 2017 that played out across live television and social media.
At the time it was Hackett’s father, Neville, who called the police to report that Hackett had been drinking and had suffered a mental breakdown.
Hackett emerged later from a detention centre in handcuffs and went on to claim the black eye he suffered came at the hands of his brother, who later described Hackett as a danger to himself.
Hackett, who later travelled to the US for a lengthy rehabilitation stint, has confirmed the incident served as the catalyst for repairing his relationship with his brother, and described them now as “closer than we have ever been”.
“Craig is probably my best friend, to be honest,” Hackett said yesterday.
“He has two sons and my kids are around the same age so it’s great that they get to spend time together when we can.
“Sometimes it takes a bad situation to forge a much better one.”
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