Former Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson marries Ashley Bright

A Hawthorn cult hero has tied the knot in a picturesque ceremony in the Yarra Valley, with footy royalty spotted alongside him.

Hawthorn cult hero and three-time premiership winner Josh Gibson has tied the knot with Ballarat businesswoman Ashley Bright in a ceremony in the Yarra Valley, telling guests his life was “perfect”.

The 39-year-old has been working in reality TV as well as buying a gym in Sydney’s east since he retired from the sport in 2017, and got engaged to Bright, a former ballet teacher and radiation therapist, in August last year.

“I never imagined finding the love and fulfilment that has come across me since you came into my world,” he said in his wedding speech.

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“Being married to you is perfect. Having a family with you is perfect.

“I am so looking forward to the next chapter of our life.

“I really hope the next chapter we write, though, involves a child that actually sleeps through the night because we can’t have a Brody 2.0.”

Bright and Gibson have a son together, born in 2021. Picture: Instagram

The couple tied the knot at the picturesque Hubert Estate in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. Picture: Instagram

Gibson and Bright had a son, Brody, born in September 2021.

The ceremony included Fox Footy expert Jordan Lewis in the wedding party, with whom Gibson is close friends.

The pair served as the backbone of the dominant Hawthorn side that won three consecutive premierships from 2013 to 2015.

Gibson won two Peter Crimmins Medals alongside a 2015 All-Australian selection during that time, while Lewis won the Medal and was All-Australian in 2014.

Former Hawthorn footballer Jordan Lewis at former teammate Josh Gibson's wedding. Picture: Instagram

Former Hawthorn footballer, Josh Gibson (left) and partner Ashley Bright at their wedding in March 2023 in the Yarra Valley. Picture: Instagram

Gibson is regarded widely as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, playing 225 AFL games after being taken seventh in the 2005 rookie draft by North Melbourne from Port Melbourne in the VFL, and being traded to Hawthorn in 2009.

He holds the record for the most one-percenters in AFL history, and was known for his spoiling ability and capability in reading situations.

Since retirement, Gibson has made celebrity television appearances and bought a gym in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

It comes as former West Coast star Daniel Venables married news presenter Scherri-Lee Biggs in a ceremony in the Swan Valley last week, sending social media into a frenzy over their picture-perfect day.