Nick Xenophon rejects former girlfriend Jenny Low’s accusations

Nick Xenophon rejects allegations by his former girlfriend that he was ‘manipulative or controlling’, labelling them political opportunism.

John Darley, left, and Jenny Low at the Advance SA party launch today. Picture: Sarah Reed

Nick Xenophon says he “absolutely rejects any suggestion” his seven-year relationship with a staffer 25 years his junior was “manipulative or controlling”.

The allegations about Mr Xenophon’s conduct were made this morning, during a news conference in Adelaide, by his former long-term girlfriend as she announced her candidacy with new political party Advance SA.

As revealed by The Australian today, Jenny Low, 34, has been a staffer for 10 years with former Xenophon MP John Darley, and will run on an upper house ticket for Mr Darley’s new party at the state election on March 17.

Ms Low this morning told journalists that throughout her relationship with Mr Xenophon, 58, which began in November 2007 and ended in June 2014, the former senator was “manipulative and controlling”.

Mr Xenophon denies the claims about his conduct.

“I deeply regret that we couldn’t make the relationship work,” he said.

The breakdown of their relationship contributed to problems between Mr Xenophon and Mr Darley, who was his only state-based MP, and contributed to Mr Darley’s shock split with Mr Xenophon in August.

Nick Xenophon has rejected Jenny Low’s claims.

But Mr Xenophon said Mr Darley had “never expressed any concerns to me about the relationship prior to today”.

“That he now chooses to try to rake over my former relationship smacks of the lowest form of dirty and desperate political opportunism,” he said.

Ms Low revealed her ill-fated love affair with Mr Xenophon, began when she was just 23, and he was 48, after she claims he “pursued” her when she joined his campaign to switch from the South Australian upper house to the Senate in 2007.

She went on to work for Mr Darley, who replaced Mr Xenophon in the upper house, and remains on his staff.

Mr Xenophon said a “romantic” relationship only developed after Ms Low finished working for him as a campaign manager in November 2007.

Ms Low said she was telling her story so “my own experiences may help others who are in similar circumstances and we can support each other”.

She stressed it was “never my intention for this to become public as people’s personal lives should stay private”.

“However, when a person’s behaviour on personal matters impacts professionally, it becomes an issue,” Ms Low said.

“I was very young when the relationship began. Being my first long term relationship, I thought the manipulative and controlling behaviours towards me were normal. I now know that it is not.

“Nick has denied any negative behaviour and I am not surprised by this; to accept it would be to accept responsibility for his actions.

“The reality is that a 48-year-old man in a position of power pursued a 23-year-old who was in a junior role.”

Ms Low, when asked today for details of the alleged conduct, she said: “There are many more details I could go into but I prefer not to.”

“I don’t want to get into those elements, because it will serve no purpose other than to smear his name and I don’t want to do that,” she said. “This is not a personal matter.”

Mr Xenophon shortly before midday issued a general statement, in addition to one provided to The Australian.

“I am deeply saddened that a failed long-term relationship that I was involved in has been used by the Advance SA Party for blatant political gain. The party should be renamed Gutter SA,” he said.

Jenny Low addresses the media about her relationship with Nick Xenophon today. Picture: Sarah Reed

Ms Low has worked for a decade in state parliament and holds a degree in behavioural science.

“I do not want to be known as someone’s partner or ex-girlfriend; I am my own person and my experience within a destructive relationship has made me stronger as an individual,” she said.

“As an educated professional woman, I want my election campaign to be focused on how my skills and professional experience can contribute to serving the people of South Australia.”

Mr Xenophon said: “Jenny Low worked for me as a campaign worker until November 2007. After she ceased working for the campaign we entered a romantic relationship.”

“During the time she worked for the campaign, my relationship with Jenny Low was a purely professional working relationship and I was grateful for her assistance during the campaign. She did excellent work,” he said.

“After Jenny finished working for the campaign, our romantic relationship developed over time.”

Mr Darley told The Australian that when Mr Xenophon broke up with Ms Low via text message in June 2014, relations between his office and the then senator began to dramatically sour. As all correspondence from Mr Darley’s office was sent via Ms Low, he said that Mr Xenophon “just ignored it”.

“Nick just ignored anything from Jenny, which was a follow on from what they had (relationship) before,” he said.

“I know they broke up, but I didn’t get too involved in that. It obviously influenced him in such a way that he just ignored anything from my office.

“Just because her name was attached to emails, to do with work matters, he didn’t respond after they had broken up, which I thought was pretty poor.

“Such a relationship with a staffer is not appropriate. He is quite strange, you know?”

Mr Darley is a former valuer-general and was Mr Xenophon’s second running mate on his No Pokies ticket in the 2006 state election.

Although Mr Darley in August said an internal dispute over changes to the upper house electoral system was the excuse Mr Xenophon needed “to get rid of me”, he hinted there were other issues at play.

Mr Xenophon said his relationship with Ms Low “waxed and waned, and there were several long breaks until we finally parted company ... I made no secret of the relationship”.

“I did my best to make the relationship work,” he said.

“We both sought and obtained relationship counselling together in late 2013 and early 2014. Sadly, that did not save our relationship.

“We had hopes of a long-term relationship and talked about a future together but unfortunately we couldn’t make it work. In the end we were not compatible.

“While I find what Jenny Low said is extremely hurtful and wrong, I can only wish her well.”

Long-time Xenophon staffer Connie Bonaros said she “never witnessed anything to indicate the relationship involved manipulation on the part of Nick”.

Mr Xenophon is an intensely private person. He married physiotherapist Sandra Kazubiernis in 1990 and two years later had a son, Aleksis. He and his wife separated in 1995, then divorced and he has not remarried.