logo
Olympic legend Cate Campbell shares huge personal news after ‘biggest heartbreak'

Olympic legend Cate Campbell shares huge personal news after ‘biggest heartbreak'

News.com.au2 days ago
Eight-time Olympic medallist Cate Campbell has announced her engagement to long-time partner Adam Kerr, sharing the dreamy proposal on Instagram.
'A complete and wonderful surprise,' the 33-year-old captioned a carousel of photos showing off her sparkling diamond ring.
Kerr, a geologist and geotechnical engineer, had no idea who Campbell was when they first met five years ago through mutual friends.
'He maintains he never Googled me, he wasn't star struck!' Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2023.
Campbell shot to fame as a teenager, qualifying for her first Olympics in Beijing at just 16.
She went on to represent Australia at the London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2021 Games.
Competing in freestyle sprint events - the 50m and 100m - Campbell became a powerhouse in individual and relay races.
Over her glittering career, she's collected four Olympic golds, one silver, and three bronze medals, and still holds the short course world record in the women's 100m freestyle at 50.25 seconds.
Although she officially hung up her goggles in June last year, she's now diving into a new pool of personal joy.
'Last Saturday while watching the sun rise at our new local beach, Adam turned and said: 'Cate, I have a question for you.'
'I thought maybe he was going to ask what kind of plants to put in our gardens, what kind of dog we should get, or what we should make for dinner.
'Instead, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said 'yes'…(and cried a lot).
'Simply the perfect way to start the next chapter of our lives.'
The couple briefly broke up, something Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald was her 'biggest heartbreak' when Campbell and her sister Bronte relocated from Brisbane to Sydney in late 2018, to train under coach Simon Cusack, who had joined the NSW Institute of Sport.
The move was aimed at improving their chances ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games. But for Cate, things quickly spiralled.
In June that year, after the Tokyo Games were delayed due to the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, she hit rock bottom.
Campbell recalled sitting in the dark on her kitchen floor, sobbing uncontrollably after a power outage.
'I was trying to make myself a cup of hot chocolate before I went to bed,' she told Wide World of Sports.
'It was like something switched in my brain,' she said. 'I just remember having what I can only call a breakdown.
'I was so distressed, and it was almost like I was watching myself having this reaction ... big sobs and tears and noises.
'I was like: 'Oh, I've never heard myself make those noises'.
'Being unable to cope with the fact that the power had tripped for the second time ... there's something wrong here. This is not a normal reaction. This is not OK.'
She later opened up to Nine about what the New York Times has dubbed 'post-Olympic blues.'
'You can go and have the most incredible time, and then you come back and you feel a bit down or suppressed ... you're just kind of like wondering about what's next, because you've been so geared towards this one thing for so long,' Campbell explained.
'When you're preparing for something as big and intense as an Olympics, it takes over your whole life.
'As much as we try and tell our athletes you need balance and you're more than just the athlete and you're more than your achievements, it is an all-consuming career choice.
'Your preparation for the 100m freestyle, you'll prepare two million minutes, and your race will be one minute ... that's crazy.'
Fellow Aussie swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan broke down in a poolside interview with Campbell while talking about her own struggles post-Paris Games.
Kaylee McKeown also admitted she'd been in a 'really dark place.'
Even 28-medal winning legend Michael Phelps has spoken about battling similar emotions.
'You work so hard for four years to get to that point, and then it's like you're … at the top of the mountain, you're like what the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I?' he told Healthline.
But for Campbell, it was her break-up with Kerr that hit hardest.
When she returned to Brisbane in late 2020, resuming her training ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo 2021 games, the couple reconnected, and have been together ever since.
News of her engagement has been met with a flood of support from the swimming community.
'Congratulations!!! This is so beautiful, so happy for you both,' fellow gold medallist Shayna Jack commented.
Campbell's Rio teammate Emma McKeon wrote, 'Congratulations,' while Tokyo champion Ariarne Titmus added, 'The best news.'
As for kids, Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald she's still undecided.
'I need to figure out who I am outside of the pool before I go into something as time and identity consuming as parenthood.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nicole Kidman's niece begs for a job after ‘risky' move to London
Nicole Kidman's niece begs for a job after ‘risky' move to London

News.com.au

timean hour ago

  • News.com.au

Nicole Kidman's niece begs for a job after ‘risky' move to London

Nicole Kidman's niece is on the job hunt after making a 'risky' move from Australia to London. Lucia Hawley begged for 'someone to hire [her] please' while describing her relocation via Substack on Monday, per Page Six. 'On paper, this is a totally stupid decision, and honestly, frightens me,' the 26-year-old wrote, explaining that she has a 'risk-averse' personality. 'My body quite literally rejects the idea of both moving overseas being unemployed,' she continued. However, Lucia admitted that she'd experienced a 'difficult' six months in her career while 'lack[ing] direction and fac[ing] numerous rejections in the pursuit of something better.' She wrote, 'This period was pretty taxing on my confidence, and I eventually began to feel like there was just simply not much left for me in Sydney (at least for now).' The former 7Bravo host, who is one of Kidman's sister Antonia Kidman's four children with late husband Angus Hawley, called the life change a 'traumatic' one. 'Saying goodbye to Henry was incredibly difficult,' Lucia wrote of her boyfriend. 'Sometimes I am left baffled by his unwavering support and blind belief in me, championing everything I do,' she gushed of her partner. 'This kind of love — true, safe love — makes you feel like you can do anything. 'Even harder were the goodbyes to my family,' Lucia continued. 'I kissed my little brothers through floods of tears.' Nonetheless, the choice remains 'exciting' and 'freeing' for Nicole's family member. 'I believe home to be a feeling,' she told readers. 'Having a strong network of people who support you is what truly enables you to navigate the world with confidence and self-assurance.' With loved ones backing her, 'failing can seem so much less inconsequential,' Lucia explained. She concluded by pointing out that 'if it all fails, [she will] always have home.' Lucia is close with her famous aunt, and they recently enjoyed a family vacation in Croatia.

Sydney Sweeney feels 'confident and comfortable' in jeans
Sydney Sweeney feels 'confident and comfortable' in jeans

Perth Now

time3 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Sydney Sweeney feels 'confident and comfortable' in jeans

Sydney Sweeney has declared she feels "confident and comfortable" in jeans after signing up as the new face of American Eagle Outfitters. The 27-year-old actress stars in the brand's new denim campaign which will feature the slogan "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" when it launches later this year - and Sydney has admitted it suits her laidback style. She explained in a statement: "There is something so effortless about American Eagle - it's the perfect balance of being put-together but still feeling like yourself. "Their commitment to creating pieces that make you feel confident and comfortable in your own skin is something that resonates with me. "It's rare to find a brand that grows with you, the way American Eagle has for generations. They have literally been there with me through every version of myself." Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer for American Eagle Outfitters, admitted signing up Sydney was a a huge deal for the company because the actress is the "It girl of the moment". He told WWD: "I think this is potentially one of the biggest gets in American Eagle histor. "Sydney Sweeney is the It girl of the moment, and she is helping us create the It jeans campaign of the season. Sydney really encapsulates American Eagle. "She is the girl who can play the red carpet but she's also the girl next door, and that duality really defines Gen Z and Millennials." Brommers revealed that Sydney made it clear she "legitimately loves our jeans", adding: "I think she just has this magnetism that everyone, women and men, are drawn to." The news comes after it was reported that Sydney is branching out into fashion herself by launching a lingerie line with backing from Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his new wife, Lauren Sanchez, who have "invested" in her project. A source told Us Weekly that Sydney's new lingerie line is launching "very soon" but she has actually been working on the lingerie line for "for the last year" and it's now close to launching. The insider explained: "This has been a huge project for her and something she's been working on for the last year."

Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne dies at the age of 76
Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne dies at the age of 76

ABC News

time3 hours ago

  • ABC News

Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne dies at the age of 76

MICHAEL ROWLAND, REPORTER: He was the black-clad, demon worshipping wild man of heavy metal, but Ozzy Osborne could not have been more obliging when photographer Tony Mott dropped by his Sydney hotel room in 1997. TONY MOTT, PHOTOGRAPHER: As soon as you put the camera on him, he lit up. He lit up in front of you. He did all that and all the metal, and it was all good. He had Ozzy tattooed on his knuckles. It was easy to get a portrait. MICHAEL ROWLAND: Things became even more cordial when the pair emerged into the light. TONY MOTT: We went outside, and I got shots of him on Sydney Harbour and I just come, a couple of years earlier, I toured with Paul McCartney and he was aware of that and he's a massive Beatles fan, and we spent 20, 30 minutes just discussing Paul McCartney and The Beatles. I can't emphasise what a lovely guy he was. He was really, really, really, really polite, very obliging, and he was Ozzy, a dead set legend. MICHAEL ROWLAND: Ozzy Osborne was also a dead set musical innovator. Black Sabbath burst on to the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1970 and the music world was never the same. PAUL CASHMERE, MUSIC JOURNALIST: And that first Black Sabbath album when it came out it was groundbreaking. That set the pattern for then what became hard rock music for decades after that. MICHAEL ROWLAND: Black Sabbath pioneered heavy metal music. Sure, there were the angry guitar riffs and foreboding beat but there was something about the band's frontman. A Black Sabbath concert was as much about the bone shaking music as it was Ozzy Osborne's outrageous stage antics. He paced, he growled. He was fond of throwing raw meat into the audience. And, of course, there was the bat. OZZY OSBOURNE: All I did was go out there and make a mistake of biting the head off a bat and I tell you what guys it ain't fun when you get them rabies shots. TONY MOTT: He was a born performer. It's performance. It wasn't just singing. Yeah, he was fantastic. It's really difficult to put into words because the best way to describe Ozzy Osborne is he's Ozzy bloody Osborne. That's who he is MICHAEL ROWLAND: Born John Michael Osborne in Birmingham in 1948, the future rock idol had a troubled childhood. He was sexually abused when he was 11 and spent time in jail for burglary offences. His demons spilled into his adult life and after Black Sabbath took off, so too did Osborne's drug and alcohol addictions. By 1979, Ozzy's erratic behaviour became too much for even his heavy metal bandmates, and he was sacked from the group. But there were two sides to this rock and roll beast. PAUL CASHMERE: But all of that legendary wild man image that Ozzy had, you had to then look at his family life and the loving father, the great husband. He was just marvellous to his kids. And when you have a look at the two sides of Ozzy, yes, he was the madman on stage, but when he came off stage, he was the average Birmingham bloke. MICHAEL ROWLAND: Ozzy Osborne's marriage to wife Sharon wasn't without its dark periods. In 1989, Osborne was arrested for attempting to murder Sharon while drunk. SHARON OSBORNE: He just said we've come to a decision that you've got to die, and then just suddenly he lunged across at me. MICHAEL ROWLAND: But the relationship endured, and in 2002 the singer's family life became the subject of a hit reality TV show. (Extract from The Osbornes) PAUL CASHMERE: Oh, look, the fact that we could see on a day-by-day basis how a rock star lived, it was just eye opening. MICHAEL ROWLAND: In later years and after a long period of sobriety, Osbourne admitted he had been drinking and taking drugs again. In 2020, he announced he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Along with the many tributes today from music industry giants, were these deeply personal messages from Ozzy's Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler who were there with the singer in Birmingham when it all began more than 35 years ago. And it was somewhat fitting Black Sabbath returned to Birmingham earlier this month to play what turned out to be Ozzy Osborne's final gig. VOX POP: He's had such an amazing career and he's clearly such a funny guy, he's enjoying it and it's fantastic. VOX POP 2: A little bit emotional actually. VOX POP 3: Yeah it's the end of an era. VOX POP 4: I have endless love for Ozzy and I sobbed the whole way through. PAUL CASHMERE: What a fantastic way to end. It was only four songs, but Ozzy also opened the show with a five-song solo set, and it was the swan song. No one was expecting what we heard today, but what a way to go out. TONY MOTT: If you're doing the top 30 of all time influential artists, et cetera, et cetera, Ozzy's in there. He wasn't the greatest singer by a long shot, but his voice was perfect for what Black Sabbath were, but yet he's up there amongst them without a doubt, and from a heavy metal point of view, it could be easy argued, he's number one.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store