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9 months ago
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Olympic gold-winning swimmer Leisel Jones has announced the 'incredibly sad' news that she has split with her husband of five years, Damon Martin.
Speaking on her Triple M radio show on Wednesday morning, Jones told listeners the couple have called it quits after 'realising we're better off going separate ways'.
She and Martin were married at the luxurious Peppers resort in the NSW country town of Bowral in August 2018, with the ceremony coming less than a year after they got engaged.
'We have separated. It's incredibly sad news,' Jones said.
Jones told listeners on her radio show that she and Martin (pictured together in 2018) are 'both extremely heartbroken' after deciding to go their separate ways
The Olympic gold medal-winning swimming great (pictured with Martin) said she is now 'out in the wilderness on my own'
'I have the deepest resect for Damo. It's a very sad situation for both of us and a very hard decision to come to.
'I think it takes a lot of bravery for two grown-ups to decide what's not right for them at a certain time and to realise that you are better off going separate ways.
'So it is a very sad announcement, and I'm out in the wilderness on my own.
'I'm actually OK. We had done a lot of work beforehand, we put a lot of effort in.'
Jones went on to reveal a detail about their relationship that proves she is already missing his company, despite the pair agreeing on the split.
'I can't cook my chops as well as Damo used to do, and I miss that,' she said.
In 2016 Jones told Daily Mail Australia that she was first attracted to Martin's sense of fun and intelligence: 'He's super duper smart, which is really important to me'
The couple were married at the luxurious Peppers resort in the NSW town of Bowral in 2018, with Leisel stunning in a chic, sleeveless, high-neck gown that featured textured pleated fabric from the waist down
'I'm conscious I am 38, I am now single, and I don't have any children and I might have missed that window, so that's a little frightening.
'It's a really big adjustment to do things on your own. Damo is a such a wonderful guy, a great guy. We are both extremely heartbroken.'
The pair got engaged when Martin popped the question during a trip to the USA in 2018.
'WE'RE ENGAGED,' she wrote in an Instagram post.
'Damo popped the question while we were in The States. I can't wait to annoy the hell out of you for the rest of our eternal lives,' captioning the post with the hashtags #wedding, #proposal #love and #engagementring.
'I think it takes a lot of bravery for two grown-ups to decide what's not right for them,' Jones told listeners to her radio show when she made the sad announcement on Wednesday
The post was met with a flurry of well wishes from friends and fans, with fellow swimmer turned TV star Johanna Griggs chiming in with: 'Huge congrats Leisel! Wonderful news'.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in 2016, Jones said that she was fortunate to have met Damon, with the pair being introduced through mutual friends.
'It's hard to meet people in Sydney and it's hard to find friends and be casual and relaxed. We're pretty lucky,' she said.
Leisel added that she was attracted to Damon's intelligence and sense of fun.
'He's super fun, very smart,' she said. 'He's super duper smart which is really important to me. He's got a great brain.'
On their wedding day Jones looked immaculate in a chic, sleeveless, high-neck gown that featured textured pleated fabric from the waist down.
Martin proposed to Jones on a trip the USA after the pair were introduced through mutual friends while she was in Sydney
The Aussie swimming great (pictured celebrating with her gold medal at the 2008 Olympics) previously opened up on her harrowing depression battle
Earlier in the day, Leisel shared a photo of herself holding a bottle of tequila, and wrote in the caption: 'Some brides post their nail colour with a glass of champagne or tea. Not this bride. She only drinks tequila.'
The retired sports star also took to Instagram Stories, revealing that she had brought her own fluffy white robe and ugg boots to the ceremony.
Appearing fresh-faced, Leisel told her followers: 'So it's all about that comfort when you get married, so I brought my own robe...because it's white, but also I've got my ugg boots, because a bride has to stay warm on her wedding day'.
In August 2022 Jones opened up about reaching the 'lowest point in her life' in 2011 as she endured a harrowing battle with depression.
'My whole identity and self-worth was wrapped in swimming, and once I achieved the gold medal that I so desperately wanted, I really questioned who am I without swimming,' Jones said.
'I was ready to retire, and I wanted to move on; but I had nothing else and no life without swimming... I didn't even know what I liked doing every day.
'So I continued swimming and I wanted to be the first swimmer to four [Olympic] Games, but my heart wasn't really in it and my mental health started to spiral.'
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