Billy Brownless ‘taking it slow’ in new relationship, six years after marriage breakdown

AFL great Billy Brownless is finding love again, six years after his marriage ended in an ugly feud with ex-Demons skipper Garry Lyon.

AFL great Billy Brownless has confirmed he has a new lady in his life, six years after his marriage breakdown left him in a bitter feud with former best mate Garry Lyon.

The former Footy Show icon and Triple M radio personality confirmed to the Herald Sun he was “taking it slowly” in the new relationship.

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“It’s really new and a nice little friendship. We’re going all right and taking it slowly,” he said.

It comes after Brownless’ Triple M colleagues had joked about the former All-Australian being spotted on dates with a mystery woman.

Speaking to the Herald Sun in July, the 55-year-old said he was looking to fall in love again.

“We are keeping our options open and we are just out there,” Brownless mused.

“It is a big ocean so we are fishing.

“I am not a very good fisherman, by the way, but I am a fisherman.”

Billy Brownless is back out there. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

It’s a lovely development for Brownless after his messy split with ex-wife Nicky saw an ugly feud between the Geelong great and Lyon.

The footy greats turned commentators marriages had both ended before Lyon and Nicky began dating in 2016.

The former friends had a bitter falling out but it appears the pair and their partners have let bygones be bygones and rekindled their friendship.

In 2020 and 2021, the pair spent Christmas together, burying the hatchet after plenty of bad blood.

It came after Brownless declared on Sam Newman’s You Cannot Be Serious podcast in September 2020 that “there’s no Christmas cards yet but we have spoken a couple of times”.

“At the time you go through all different emotions of course,” Brownless told Newman at the time. “‘Why me?’ and a bit of hatred of course.

“But now mate, it’s been four or five years, I’ve come around and everyone is in a good spot to be honest. Garry and Nicky are — that’s fine — and the kids are (too).

“That was the other big problem (at the time). Young Maxy was about 10, Oscar was about 14, the girls (Lucy and Ruby) were 16, 17.

“It was so public that was the biggest problem. It was so public. On TV, in the papers, front page of the Geelong Addy.

“It was hard at the time because it was so public. I’d walk into a coffee shop and I’d swear everyone was looking at me and talking about it and they weren’t.”

Brownless’ marriage breakdown took its toll.

Brownless said he’d been told early on it would take two years for him to get over the betrayal but “two wasn’t right”.

In late 2021 Brownless retired from TV after 27 years on screen.

But he also landed an expanded radio gig just two weeks later, being announced as the new Drive host alongside James Brayshaw.

The pair previously combined for Triple M’s one-hour long The Rush Hour show for the past 11 years but will now have double the time to fill.