He’s going through a very public marriage break-up.
But that hasn’t stopped former Cats star Jimmy Bartel from doing his day job as he and estranged wife Nadia continue to face intense scrutiny after their shock split.
The AFL great fronted up this morning on Seven’s Game Day show, where he talked all things footy with host Hamish McLachlan.
His TV appearance comes after Bartel broke his silence on yesterday’s 3AW pre-match, calling for “a bit of respect and privacy” for himself and his family.
“It’s not great, but I am probably not going to provide any commentary on it,” Bartel said.
“I know I am in the public eye and people are interested, but it is a private matter and I ask for a bit of respect because obviously Nadia and the boys (are) involved.”
Bartel, 35, is said to be dating Melbourne socialite Lauren Mand, after his split from fashion blogger wife Nadia.
Nadia, 34, is one of the original WAGs to go from a Brownlow plus-one to building a fully-fledged social media brand, with more than half a million Instagram followers.
Source closes to the couple — who have been together a decade and tied the knot in 2014 — confirmed the split after the separated pair unfollowed each other on Instagram and both were photographed without their wedding rings.
It is understood the couple’s marriage had been unravelling for months.
WHY NADIA AND JIMMY BARTEL SPLIT
The St Kilda East-based couple share two sons, Aston, 3 and Henley, who was born in October last year.
In February, Nadia opened up about the pressures of the WAG lifestyle and being under a constant microscope.
“You’d get a lot of opinions, people coming up and loving you or hating you if [a game] didn’t go well. Strangers would come out on the street and abuse him. You had to get used to dealing with other people’s opinions of you,” she told News Corp Australia.
She also reflected on the changing WAG culture and increased scrutiny on women who attend the AFL’s best and fairest.
“[But] there also wasn’t as much pressure,” she said. “Now you wear something [controversial] and you get attacked all over social media. When I went to the Brownlow, it was a bit different. You’d go, you’d have a bit of fun.
“It’s increased because there are more social media platforms, more interest, everyone is just talking about footy more. People need something to talk about.”
This is how the Bartels’ relationship played out in the spotlight:
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