Inside the breakdown of Wally Lewis's 36-year marriage - as footy icon's ex-wife and their children boycott his stunning wedding to new love

Daily Mail​

28-04-2025

While the king of rugby league was all smiles at his second wedding on Saturday, the distinct absence of Wally Lewis's children speak volumes about the family pain that still lingers from his first marriage.
'The King', now 65, tied the knot with Townsville volunteer worker Lynda Adams in a picturesque Brisbane ceremony.
The couple celebrated their vows surrounded by friends and family at the heritage-listed St Mary's Anglican Church in Kangaroo Point.
After the service, guests were transported by coach to a lavish reception at Old Government House in the heart of Brisbane's CBD.
However, Wally's ex Jacqueline and three children - Lincoln, 37, Jamie Lee, 34, and Mitchell, 26 - were conspicuously absent from the celebrations.
The no-shows highlight the ongoing friction, pain and factions that still divide the Lewis family five years after the breakdown of the rugby league Immortal's first marriage.
Lewis married Jacqueline Green in a fairytale ceremony at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane in November 1984.
Their love story began a year earlier when Lewis, already a rising footy star, met Jacqui on Nobbys Beach at the Gold Coast.
Smitten from the start, Lewis courted Jacqui with flowers and invitations until she finally agreed to date him just days before he flew to England to play for Wakefield Trinity.
Sixteen days later, he proposed.
In marrying Lewis, Jacqui took on the role not only of wife but secretary, spokeswoman and media representative, standing beside him during his meteoric rise to become arguably the best rugby league player on the planet.
The couple had three children together - Mitchell, Lincoln and Jamie-Lee.
Mitchell built a career in radio, Lincoln found fame as an actor on Home And Away, while Jamie-Lee excelled in sport after overcoming profound deafness.
Wally's devotion to family was never more evident than in 1991, when he retired from State of Origin footy to prioritise time with his young daughter.
Throughout Wally's health battles, including epilepsy and depression, Jacqui remained a constant and loyal partner.
Lewis and his son Lincoln have reportedly become estranged, with Lincoln in Brisbane at the same time as his father's wedding, but not at the ceremony
The Lewis children have reportedly sided with their mother after it emerged that their father may have been seeing Lynda while still married to Jacquie
In his autobiography Out of the Shadows, Wally praised Jacqui's unwavering support during the darkest moments of his life.
'She's been a wonderful partner to have – through good times and bad, through sickness and health. She's had plenty of all that,' he wrote.
For decades, the Lewis family stood as a symbol of Queensland pride and unity.
However, after 36 years of marriage, Wally and Jacqui quietly separated in 2020.
Channel Nine later confirmed the split in a February 2021 statement, calling it 'a difficult time for everyone in the family'.
'I want to acknowledge the pain and upset my family has gone through since Jacqui and I separated last year. I hope over time we can rebuild,' Lewis said in a public statement.
Shortly after, Wally confirmed he had found love again with Townsville-based volunteer worker and writer, Lynda Adams.
Reports emerged that the new relationship might have begun before his marriage ended, straining family ties further.
Lincoln posted this image to his Instagram account on the same day as his father's wedding, which he did not attend
'Jamie-Lee was mortified when her dad told her he was getting married again – I don't think any of the three kids will ever forgive their dad for hurting their mum,' a close family friend revealed.
Lincoln, Mitchell and Jamie-Lee reportedly chose to side with Jacqui and distanced themselves from their father.
Lincoln, once close with Wally, refused contact following the split.
'We've all banded together, we're a tight family unit. She's got some amazing friends around her,' Lincoln said in 2021.
On the same day as the wedding, Lincoln posted an image to his Instagram account announcing he would be the MC at the Australian Tourism Exchange 2025 at the Brisbane Convention Centre instead of being present at the nuptials.
'Amongst the formalities, it's pretty much where I get to be on stage yapping about how much I love Aus,' he posted.
The next day he was on the Gold Coast for a film festival, watching Star Wars with his nephews.
Jacqui has also sold the family's longtime home in the eastern Brisbane suburb of Birkdale, further symbolising the end of an era.
Lewis's children have been strong supporters of their mother since it was revealed that their father had moved on with Adams
Despite Wally's public insistence that 'there's no family feud', relations remained visibly strained.
In late 2024, Wally proposed to Lynda, planning a tropical Queensland wedding for the following year.
Lynda's daughter Sydney was named part of the wedding party, but Wally's children and grandchildren were not.
'They would see attending their dad's wedding as a real act of betrayal towards their mum,' a source close to the family said.
About 40 guests attended the ceremony, including Lewis's best man and fellow teammate Gene Miles and fellow rugby league great and Channel Nine star Paul 'Fatty' Vautin.
Family insiders say Wally remains 'besotted' with Lynda, but the fallout with his children casts a shadow over the new marriage.
While Jacqui has moved forward, thriving in a new retail career and cherishing time with her grandchildren, sadness lingers over the broken family bonds.
'She's sad for their three kids who barely see their dad, but in many ways she's relieved she can now enjoy a brand new chapter in her life,' a family friend said.
Since the separation, Jacqui has taken overseas trips and found renewed happiness.
Meanwhile, Wally, 65, is confronting serious health challenges, including a probable diagnosis of the deadly brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
He announced that diagnosis on 60 Minutes in 2023, with the assistance of Lynda.
'There's the big one. I can't even remember the name of what it's called,' Lewis responded.