Annette Sharp: Divorce unrest at centre of Cam Williams assault case

Sources say Cameron Williams and his wife Natasha Russo are divorcing, which is believed to have contributed to an argument that led to police charging him, Annette Sharp writes.

Cameron Williams pictured outside Singleton Court last week.

Cameron Williams and his wife Natasha Russo had been living apart when the pair had a row during a social gathering at a rural property in the Hunter Valley last weekend.

Sources on Friday confirmed former television sportscaster Williams and Russo are in the process of divorcing, something which is believed to have contributed to an argument that led to police attending the couple’s Howes Valley retreat outside Singleton around 1am last Sunday.

Williams and Russo had been drinking with friends when the argument took place.

Williams, 59, was allegedly seen pushing and grabbing his estranged wife, prompting guests to intervene and call triple-zero.

Police arrived soon after, and arrested and charged Williams with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault. His lawyers have said he intends to defend the charges.

Natasha Russo and Cameron Williams in 2017. Sources say the pair are in the process of divorcing. Picture: Salty Dingo

On Friday, while neither Williams nor Russo could be reached for comment, a close source said that the couple’s relationship broke down earlier this year after he left his job at Channel 9 in shock circumstances.

“Cameron’s going through a divorce and he and Natasha are in the process of selling off their assets. There’s a lot of stuff going on privately for the pair,” the friend said.

The couple’s fight took place one week before the couple’s home in Coogee was scheduled for auction.

That auction takes place today (Saturday), a month after the two-storey four-bedroom home with ocean views hit the market with price expectations of over $5 million.

The couple also own the farm at Howes Valley, which is also expected to be sold, with the proceeds from both sales divided between the couple, who also share two young children.

Williams, a 15-year veteran of Nine who presented sport on the 6pm evening news bulletin until February, left the media company in March following an unexplained leave of absence.

Nine insiders later told this column Williams had clashed with one of his news bosses weeks before his departure.

It’s not the first time Williams has faced court, having been cleared of a charge of indecent assault in 2001 after a make-up artist had alleged he touched her breast.

Williams explained his departure to colleagues in a farewell email: “I have struggled for years with increasingly poor health and I want to address that now for the sake of a more important team, my family.”

Yesterday a friend said Williams has been “dealing with a lot” following the breakdown of his marriage to Russo.

That said, Williams had recently been working on a post-TV career revival as a media trainer and had been in talks with Pacific Sports Management’s Chris Orr to establish a training division for sports stars wanting to break into the industry.

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