Brittany Hockley debuts new footballer boyfriend Benjamin Siegrist in exclusive shoot
Bachelor star Brittany Hockley’s love life has been the source of constant instant. Now she’s putting it all on the line with her new footballer boyfriend, posing with him for the first time.
Stellar
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Fans of radio and podcast personality Brittany Hockley in search of a sign that the 35-year-old dating-show veteran just might have found that elusive “one” need look no further than Stellar’s photo shoot.
Since Hockley first appeared on Nick “Honey Badger” Cummins’ ill-fated 2018 season of The Bachelor Australia, her love life has been a constant talking point – for both herself and her fans. In her podcast, Life Uncut, she’s spent the past four years laughing and crying (sometimes at the same time) over the highs and lows of her romantic history alongside her friend (and fellow former Bachelor Australia contestant) Laura Byrne. From discussing a recent break-up to the process of freezing her eggs, Hockley has tackled a lot.
One thing she hasn’t done is take any professional snaps with a sweetheart – that was, until she met Swiss footballer Benjamin Siegrist. “I was single for the best part of 10 years and I’ve only had one serious relationship, and [a photo shoot] just wasn’t something we did,” Hockley admits to Stellar. “This is the first shoot where I thought, I reckon this is my person. So it makes these pictures pretty special.” Adds Siegrist: “It was a really cool experience to do this with Britt and make memories together.”
Despite the fact they’ve been together for eight months, the two are still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, which they explain is one of the positives about dating long-distance. Siegrist, 31, the goalkeeper for Celtic Football Club, will be based in Glasgow, Scotland, for the remaining two years of his contract while Hockley, a former emergency radiographer, records the national drive radio show The Pick Up on KIIS with Byrne and Mitch Churi in Sydney.
Of course, Hockley has trialled a globe-spanning relationship before, while dating Jordan Thompson, the Australian tennis player whose career barely kept him in one place for more than two weeks. When that love match ended (amicably, she revealed in the aftermath) in early 2022, Hockley swore off dating – especially those not often in the same time zone – and resigned herself to the idea that her childhood dream of having four kids, two dogs, a beach house and a white picket fence might not be her reality.
After a beat, she decided it was time to dip her toes back into the dating pool, and with the aim of having a fling, she came across Siegrist’s profile on celebrity dating app Raya when he was in town for an exhibition match against Sydney FC in November. “I was like, ‘This guy’s perfect. He’s beautiful. He’s only here for three more days. He doesn’t know who I am or anything about me or my story. It was supposed to be one dinner, one night,” Hockley explains, adding their one-night stand turned into three days spent together.
Siegrist recalls Hockley mentioning to him that, if he lived in Sydney, she would have liked to date him. Although he had been adamant he didn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship, he was willing to change his mind.
“Me being me and spontaneous, I said, ‘Why does it matter where I live? We can still do this,’” Siegrist tells Stellar. “We’ve both not made relationships work with people who are in close proximity to us, so who’s to say it can’t work out with somebody literally halfway across the globe?”
Hockley may have established her broadcasting brand on her openness, but she kept Siegrist a secret from her listeners until she visited him in Europe months later, all despite speaking to each other every day. It was during that trip that she realised, “As much as I didn’t want to do long-distance again, I think this is it. I think I’m in trouble. Ben is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. When I met him, I thought he was going to be such a player. But he couldn’t be further removed from that. He is probably the most gentlemanly gentleman I have ever met. It’s very evident that he was brought up by women because of the way he treats women. It’s such a cliché, but I didn’t know men like him existed.”
The feeling was mutual for Siegrist, who had binged the Life Uncut podcast and read We Love Love, the subsequent book, to learn more about Hockley. “I’m a very private person and like keeping to myself, but me wanting to open up to Britt was a sign,” he admits. “She listens and she makes me laugh so much.
“She’s so kind and always wants to help people and lift other people up. She really is the full package. I didn’t know what the future held, but I wanted it to be with her. And we will work out everything from now until the day I’ll probably move to Australia.”
Until that day arrives, the two have resolved to not spend more than eight weeks apart and to speak on the phone every day, even if it’s just for five minutes to say goodnight. “The really nice aspect of long distance is you spend so much time getting to know each other on a deeper level because you can’t physically be together,” Hockley insists. “It’s less superficial.”
But lately, life hasn’t been just about falling in love and having a thriving career for Hockley. In December, she found herself at the centre of a furore after she pitched in to co-host The Kyle & Jackie O Show on radio and was called out by fellow podcaster, radio host and former The Bachelor Australia contestant Abbie Chatfield for slut-shaming. “One thing I’ve realised over the past few months is protecting my peace is far more important than weighing in on anything else that might be happening around me,” Hockley says of the negative attention her fame has brought. “I know who I am, and the people in my life who I love and who matter know who I am, too. And I am learning to just not engage with any of it.
“Time and energy are precious commodities and I don’t [want to] waste them. My time and energy [are] spent on my relationships, my work and the amazing Life Uncut community. Myself and Laura have helped and supported so many women. That’s why we started the podcast, that’s what’s important to us and that’s my focus.”
Hockley and Siegrist both agree that their relationship has got the tick of approval from their respective communities. While Celtic fans normally direct wisecracks at him based on his performance on the field, they’ve had a few things to say about his love life since he’s met Hockley, he jokes. “Leaving the stadium after the game, one of the fans said, ‘How the hell did you get her?’ [It’s] is a huge compliment in football.”
For her part, Hockley says her podcast listeners, whom she calls “Lifers”, send her messages telling her they can feel the genuine bond between her and Siegrist, although she assures Stellar that not every second of their lives is up for social sharing. “I’m very open and I’m known for that,” she explains. “But it’s a common misconception that there are no private moments and secrets. Anything that we talk about or that I might mention, I always ask Ben.
“I did think I was going to be more private with this relationship, but I’m just so in love and so happy, I don’t care about it anymore. We decided if this doesn’t work out, it doesn’t matter if there are things written that we had a relationship. And if it does work out, like we truly believe [it will], then we’ve got a timeline to show the kids one day.”
Listen to Life Uncut on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts. The Pick Up airs at 3pm weekdays on KIIS FM.
Read the full interview with Stellar this Sunday, inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD), and Sunday Mail (SA).
Originally published as Brittany Hockley debuts new footballer boyfriend Benjamin Siegrist in exclusive shoot
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