NSW star Angus Crichton confirms romance with glamorous girlfriend as they share a kiss before shattering Origin loss

Roosters star Angus Crichton has confirmed his romance with girlfriend Chloe Esegbona after being pictured kissing her goodbye before Wednesday night's State of Origin.

Crichton, 28, played well for the Blues against the Maroons in the 2024 Origin series opener, despite a 38-10 loss in Game I.

From the second Joseph Sua'ali'i was sent off for flattening Reece Walsh in the early minutes of the match, the Roosters star and his teammates were doomed to lose.

Crichton moved to left centre after the send-off and did his best to seal the gap, missing some big tackles but also doing some hard running in trying circumstances.

Not much is known about Crichton's new girlfriend, Chloe Esegbona, who he was pictured kissing goodbye in front of the Pullman Hotel on Wednesday afternoon.

He has recently shared off-season photos of his global travels including shots of Chloe, but whether they were in a relationship or just friends was not previously clear.

Crichton split from his Olympian girlfriend Morgan Mitchell in 2022 before facing mental health challenges in 2023 that meant a long spell away from footy.

Just before the start of the 2024 NRL season, Crichton opened up about his time in a French psychiatric facility at the close of 2022 and his continued struggles with mental health when he returned home.

There were speculation that Crichton had severely damaged his brain using magic mushrooms abroad, but he shot down those rumours as false without denying his use of the substance.

While in France, Crichton was put on medication and underwent treatment in mental health facilities. His parents visited and quickly arranged for his return to Australia.

'I was just manic. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't thinking clearly or making good decisions. No one got hurt, no one got injured, but I was super energetic and very different to my normal self,' he said.

Indeed, in a recent social media post Crichton noted how testing the last period of his life has been.

'Bit late but 2023 tested me, went through it all,' he wrote on the post, which featured photos of him and Esegbona.

'Lucky to have the friends and family that I do to pick me up when I needed it.

'Thank you to anyone who showed me love or had my back, whether I know you or not I appreciate it.

'Ready to make 2024 great.'

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