Rugby league legend Wally Lewis has announced he has separated from his wife of 36 years and the mother of his three children, saying he’s now moved on to a new relationship. The long-time Queensland player and sports commentator announced the shock split in a statement to Channel Nine that was released on Monday night.
“Wally and Jacqui Lewis separated last year after 36 years of marriage,” the statement read. “It has been a difficult time for everyone in the family and they are still working through the details of the separation.”
Lewis added, “This is a deeply personal matter that we do not want to discuss publicly, but 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 our ties and move on with life. I will confirm I am now in another relationship and only ask for the media to respect our privacy.”
Lewis, 61, and Jacqui were married on November 10, 1984, in Brisbane. They share three children together, Mitchell, Lincoln and Jaimie-Lee, and are grandparents to Mitch’s three sons.
In his autobiography My Life, released last year, Lewis revealed how Jacqui helped him to deal with his epilepsy diagnosis, which he kept secret from 1987 to 2006 before he had a seizure on air on Nine News. He detailed how, after his operation for the seizures in 2007, he fell into a deep depression that had him coming dangerously close to committing suicide.
“I had suicidal thoughts and found myself crying uncontrollably, for no reason,” he wrote. “Another time I walked down to the pontoon on the canal at the back of the house and considered jumping in. The thought was actually there that day … (Jacqui) never left me alone after that.”
The rugby icon has played 301 games throughout his career and captained Queensland 30 times at Origin level, as well as winning a record eight Man of the Match awards. He was also announced as the sixth member of rugby league’s famous ‘The Immortals’ club in 1999, and was inducted into the National Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2008.