Wally and Jacqui Lewis. Photo / Jamie Hanson, News Corp Australia
Wally and Jacqui Lewis. Photo / Jamie Hanson, News Corp Australia
Wally Lewis' children have been caught in the middle of his shock break-up as the Australian rugby league icon admitted his family is hurting following confirmation he has split with wife Jacqui.
The Queensland Origin legend and Jacqui have separated after 36 years of marriage and, in a statement released by his employer Channel 9, where he works as a sports presenter and commentator, Lewis acknowledged the "pain and upset" his family has endured as a result of the relationship breakdown.
The statement said it has been a "difficult time for everyone in the family", as Lewis revealed he is in another relationship.
Lewis and Jacqui have three kids together: Lincoln, Mitchell and Jamie-Lee. Lincoln is a Logie award-winning actor, Mitch works in radio and Jamie-Lee is a star athlete.
Lincoln is best known for starring in Home And Away, playing the role of Geoff Campbell for several years in the long-running Australian soap. He's also had roles in films After Earth and Tomorrow, When the War Began.
The 33-year-old shares a close bond with his dad, bringing him to the 2014 Logies as his date, and last year Lincoln become emotional when opening up about why he admires his famous father so much.
Lincoln's made a name for himself in front of the camera. Photo / News Corp Australia
"I think everyone in the rugby league community of Queensland has seen what he can do on the footy field. But that kind of determination on the footy field, he applies to all aspects of his life," Lincoln told Nine.
"And that determination is pretty bloody strong, let me tell you. From somebody who tried to tackle him a couple of years ago and was left with the two-day headache — the old boy doesn't go down without a fight. So I love that fighting spirit in him."
Lincoln also elaborated on the close relationship shared by all the members of the Lewis clan, who are used to life in the limelight.
"His whole life, dad has been in the public eye," he said. "And my brother is in radio and I do the film and television thing. So when we actually do stuff, we are so chill.
"At the end of the day, we really enjoy each other's company. Just being together, especially with Covid, is special.
"So when you put it into perspective, even just sitting outside with some people is such a treat."
Last year Lincoln revealed the devastating impact a catfishing scandal had on his life and mental health, after a woman used his name and details to trick six women into thinking they were in a relationship with the actor.
One of the victims took their own life after the ordeal and in 2019 Lydia Abdelmalek was convicted of six stalking charges.
Lincoln said the affair left him "pretty heavily broken".
"It got to the point where mentally and emotionally most of the time I felt broken but always made sure to put a smile on every time I'd step outside," he said.
"Keeping things to myself only made it worse which took away a big part of my natural happiness, my epic spark for life, my creativity when it came to my acting and lastly — eating like s**t to try and make myself feel better."
But Lincoln is back in a "good spot" after emerging from a "dark place", paying tribute to his family and friends for helping him through the difficult time.
While he didn't directly reference his parents' split, Lincoln did take to Instagram on Tuesday and posted an emotional message about friendship.
"When you have a friend who checks on you and wants nothing but the best for you without motives ... keep them close, such souls are rare," the post read.
He added a caption: "Try to be like this as much as I can but wanna show some appreciation … lucky to have such amazing ppl in my life."
Jamie-Lee follows Wally's footsteps
Born profoundly deaf, Jamie-Lee never let that deter her as she inherited her father's famous sporting genes and went on to establish a reputation as a superstar athlete in her own right.
She has overcome depression and serious injuries to forge an incredibly successful career that saw her become the first deaf person to represent Australia in a hearing sport (water polo) and follow Wally's footsteps into rugby league.
In a tragic irony, Jamie-Lee's love of sport very nearly cost her everything when, playing for the Gold Coast Titans in 2019, a brutal tackle snapped her collarbone and pushed it into an artery that was dangerously close to her heart.
Wally was in the stands watching that day and drove Jamie-Lee from the Gold Coast to a hospital in Brisbane where a doctor told her had she not come in, she may have bled to death.
Wally and Jamie-Lee. Photo / News Corp Australia
Jamie-Lee also played Rugby Sevens but serious knee injuries on the footy field and the long recovery times needed took their toll on her mental health. But with the help of those closest to her, she bounced back.
"I'm really grateful I didn't give up and I had people around me to support me and get me back up," she told the Courier-Mail. "I didn't want to get to my 40s and wish I didn't give up."
Despite growing up in a footy-mad household, Jamie-Lee didn't start playing league until she was 26, having been told to avoid contact sports as a kid to protect her cochlear implant.
In a TV appearance alongside her dad on Channel 9 last year, Jamie-Lee said she has "never let deafness get in the way if I am doing anything I want to do in life", while Wally spoke of his immense pride in her achievements.
"She basically had a bit of a tough start to life but she's never ever used that as an excuse," he said. "She's definitely wanted to get on with everyday life and enjoy it just the same as everybody else does."
The Daily Mail reports Jamie-Lee shared the same Instagram post about friendship as Lincoln on Tuesday, but again there was no specific reference to her parents' break-up.
Mitchell makes a name for himself in radio
Mitchell works for NOVA as a radio presenter and is part of the team at the Ash, Kip and Luttsy with Susie O'Neill show.
In 2018 he took part in a lighthearted segment "Know Ya Dad" where he was asked questions about Wally to see how much he knew about him.
Mitch (right) works in radio. Photo / Supplied
Mitch had no idea what the name of The King's first girlfriend was, and took a stab when asked what his favourite moment of his career was.
"First State of Origin. He always talks about that," Mitch said. "Arthur Beetson was his hero growing up, the noise that it makes — I'm going to go with that."
Unfortunately, Wally said his final State of Origin appearance was actually his most notable moment.
