‘Life had ended’: Nadia Bartel opens up about divorce from Jimmy Bartel

The Henne co-founder has opened up about her split from AFL great Jimmy Bartel, revealing it left her feeling like her “life had ended”.

Nadia Bartel has given rare insight into her split from Geelong great Jimmy Bartel, revealing it left her feeling like she’d “never date again”.

The former AFL golden couple – who share sons Aston and Henley – made headlines in 2019 when their seemingly picture perfect marriage came crashing down, amid speculation about a trip Jimmy took to London that same year, where his later girlfriend Lauren Mand had been living at the time. Their divorce was finalised in August 2021.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the Henne co-founder reflected on the dark period in the hopes it “could help” any of her 530,000 followers who had been through a similar situation.

“I felt like my life had ended, which is silly to think now,” the 39-year-old said in a video.

“You do think you’ll never be able to date again – I know I did feel like that … having two small children and not having time for anything else.

“It was really hard for me as well because I’d been with my ex since I was 22 or 23, so to even think about dating again felt like the most foreign thing to me, and I didn’t even know how I’d handle any of that.”

The Bartels married in 2014, six years after meeting at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2008.

Jimmy and Nadia Bartel on their wedding day in 2014. Picture: Instagram

The couple, who share two sons, announced their split in 2019. Picture: Michael Klein

Bartel admitted she’d got to a point where she “didn’t even want to meet anyone”.

“I thought, ‘I’m so happy with my two boys’,” she said.

When her now-boyfriend, businessman Peter Dugmore messaged her on social media during one of Melbourne’s pandemic lockdowns, however, Bartel surprised herself.

“I don’t usually respond to Instagram messages, and I don’t know if it was because I was feeling lonely, but I responded,” she said.

“I looked at his profile and we had some mutual friends and he looked like a nice guy. He also didn’t have a lot of posts – and I liked that.”

Peter Dugmore and Nadia Bartel. Picture: Instagram

The now-couple began chatting online weekly for six months.

“I really enjoyed the chats, but I never thought I’d ever see this person – it was just nice to chat,” Bartel said.

“I was in a good place with my mental health and I didn’t want to put myself in a position where I could be hurt again.”

When they finally did meet in real life – bizarrely, while walking around the Tan walking track in Melbourne – “I just felt an instant spark and energy, which was crazy because I hadn’t felt that at all with anyone since my split”.

She and Dugmore have been together ever since, making their first public appearance at this year’s Australian Open after two years of dating.

“That feeling of connecting with someone and an energy, I feel like it’s a real thing,” Bartel said.

“I feel like if I didn’t bump into him that day (in 2022), I don’t know if I ever would have had the guts to meet him in person so I feel like some things just happen for a reason and things are just meant to be.”

For anyone who is struggling, Bartel said: “I really do believe it always works out.

“If you’re going through something horrible (and) you can’t imagine ever being happy again, and you feel like there’s no future … things really do work out, it just takes time,” she said.

“It’s nice to know you can have children, you can have blended families, and you can be happy.”

Originally published as ‘Life had ended’: Nadia Bartel opens up about divorce from Jimmy Bartel