Grace Hayden photos, timeline, highlights and news
She comes from cricketing royalty but Grace Hayden these days has her own runs on the board.
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She comes from cricketing royalty but Grace Hayden these days has her own runs on the board.
The daughter of Matthew Hayden, who played 103 Tests and 163 one-day internationals for Australia, Grace has risen to quickly become a star of racing coverage, as well as own a growing social media brand.
This is the story of her rise and rise >>>
Early life & family
Grace Hayden was born June 21, 2002 in Australia to Matthew and Kellie Hayden.
She has two younger brothers, Joshua and Thomas.
From an early age cricket is what she knew, as her mum disclosed during Matthew’s playing days in 2003.
“When Grace came to club cricket (to watch her dad) we took along a picnic and Matt was waving to her from the middle and she just wanted to find a hole in the fence and run out there,’’ Kellie said at the time.
“She’s 16 months old and this week she’s really missing Matt. She races in to the bedroom and points at his side of the bed and says `da da’. When the cricket comes on TV she says `da da’. She now relates cricket to dad.’’
In 2008 a tearful Matthew even revealed he reached his emotional decision to retire while picking tomatoes in his backyard with Grace.
“At one stage on Saturday afternoon I was picking this crazy bush of wild tomatoes that we had and I was with Grace,’’ Hayden said.
“I was just talking with her, as you do, dad and daughter, and I just said, `Darling, I think I’ve had enough — I want to be here’.
“She said, ‘Daddy, one more Christmas’ — because she loves the Boxing Day Test match.
“I said, `No, that’s it, love, this is time’.”
Grace has since developed her own competitive streak and competed in everything from triathlon to javelin when she was growing up.
“I was the most competitive out of all of us kids,” she said in January 2025.
“I have always loved my sport.
“Everything I do, I want to do it at 110 per cent.
“I just love being active, moving, you feel good.”
As for family sledging?
“Definitely (Dad’s) on-field banter has carried on into the family. He loves a pot stir,” she said in 2022.
Proud father Matthew spoke of his “superb kid” in September 2022.
“She’s got a great work ethic and in many ways she’s been in front of a camera for much of her life. Grace has been an accomplished athlete herself, she was always a sporty kid, and she’s as pretty as a rose but has all the capability and talent as well,” he said.
Making her own headlines
In 2023 Grace made her debut as a sports presenter with Star Sports during the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in India, marking her entry into cricket broadcasting.
A year later she expanded her media presence by joining Channel 7’s racing coverage and served as an ambassador for the 142nd Birdsville Races, showcasing her versatility in sports media.
In 2025 Grace secured a prominent role as the lead presenter for the international digital platform Racing X, covering major sporting events globally.
“All of the iconic sporting cricket grounds were kind of my playground growing up, so it was all I ever knew,” Hayden said in January 2025.
“Sport is everything that I’ve known my whole life.
“Now that I am working in sport and cricket, I realise just how amazing my dad was, still is, but was at his craft, and I just didn’t appreciate that when I was little.
“Now I look back at videos and see he was amazing.”
What about a sliding door moment in her life?
“When I deferred my degree in occupational therapy to pursue what I’m doing now. When you work hard to achieve a good score in school and get into what you think at the time is your dream career and choose to defer as a competitive-natured person that inner battle felt at the time like I was giving up,” she said.
“But since that moment I’ve never looked back and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.”
Personal life
In May 2024 it was revealed Grace had begun dating Wilson Statham, son of Queensland cotton moguls Danielle and David Statham.
The couple has been spotted together at various high-profile events, including The Everest and The Star Championships
The speculation intensified when she posted a photo on social media, showing just the torso of the enigmatic figure standing behind her.
The Stathams own and operate the Sundown Pastoral Company, a cotton and cropping empire that spans over 70,000ha across Queensland and northern NSW.
The family made headlines in 2018 when they sold Sundown Valley and Gunnee feedlot to Gina Rinehart’s Han-cock Prospecting for a staggering $120m.
Admitting Justin Bieber and Harry Styles were her teen crushes, Grace revealed that spending time with her family still ranks as one of her favourite things to do.
“Spending time with my family, my dogs, my partner, my friends and being anywhere in or around the water (is the best). Also, living a healthy and active lifestyle,” she said in May 2025.
She also opened up about a hilarious dating experience.
“He asked me what I thought of (dad’s) batting form … I said you’re asking the wrong Hayden,” she said.
In 2022 she discussed the grounding in her early years.
“I’ve been lucky to travel the world since I was a newborn with my family to support my dad,” she said.
“From 16, however, I began to pave my way in modelling and now TV and media which requires a lot of alone time in new cities and countries and hours in the sky.
“At first you’re out of your comfort zone, but you quickly learn to adapt, make friends, explore and make new routines on the road … learning to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.”
Social media stardom
Grace has quickly become a social media star, with her account swelling to 201,000 followers on Instagram.
Her feed is a mixture of fitness, modelling and snaps with friends.
In 2025 she took to social media amid the terrifying conflict between India and Pakistan, with Grace based in Mumbai and her in Delhi for the Indian Premier League competition.
“It was pretty scary last night at studio watching the game and they called it off so we all just watched what was going on there,” Grace said.
“Dad is OK, they got him and everyone out safely. They are handling it really well. We are taking it minute by minute so it feels pretty foreign right now.”
She described the conflict between the nations as “heartbreaking”.
“I have a deep love for both countries,” she said.
Originally published as Grace Hayden photos, timeline, highlights and news
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