Billy Brownless, Garry Lyon make huge leap in rekindling friendship

It’s a reunion almost five years in the making, with the Footy Show friends turned foes breaking bread together.

Billy Brownless, Nicky Brownless and Garry Lyon celebrate Christmas 2020 together with the Brownless children. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

Christmas and family have helped former Footy Show friends turned foes Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon repair their fractured relationship.

The former footballers’ friendship was shattered in 2016 after Brownless’s marriage to his wife Nicky ended and Nicky commenced a relationship with Lyon, whose marriage had also broken down.

Lyon left The Footy Show soon after. Five years later the pair have seemingly patched up their friendship to some degree and both men shared Christmas lunch with Nicky and Brownless’s children Ruby, Lucy, Max and Oscar in Geelong.

Photos posted to social media show a celebration of family and togetherness during the season of goodwill.

Billy and Garry didn’t speak for several years. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

The two men are now in a “good spot”. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

Speaking with Sam Newman on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast in September, Brownless said he and Lyon were in a “good spot” but did not imagine they would be exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon.

Well, maybe not Christmas cards, but they were certainly enjoying a meal together as a happy, blended, modern family on Christmas Day.

Time heals all wounds as the saying goes.

“Mate, it’s been four or five years, I’ve come around and everyone is in a good spot to be honest,” Brownless told Newman’s podcast. “We’ve spoken a couple of times, probably (won’t ever be the same) and mate there’s no Christmas cards yet, but we have spoken a couple of times.

“There’s no problems, we’re in a good space, he’s in a good space, Nicky is, the kids are and so am I. But that’s taken time. It has.”