Footy star who made history when he came out as gay has surprise wedding – and a sporting legend flew him to the ceremony in a helicopter
- Former All Black Campbell Johnstone married his partner
- Johnstone came out as gay in a shock interview in 2023
Former All Black Campbell Johnstone has tied the knot with his partner Ben Thomson in a surprise wedding that saw the couple rushed to the ceremony by a rugby legend.
All Black No.1056 Making his debut against Fiji in 2005, Johnstone played three Tests for New Zealand, scoring 72 appearances for Canterbury and 38 for the Crusaders.
Johnstone came out as gay in 2023, having previously only revealed his sexuality to family and close friends, and said his decision to announce the news publicly came from a desire to destigmatize homosexuality and encourage acceptance in rugby encourage.
He is the first All Black to openly come out as gay.
Johnstone, 44, and Thomson, 37, married in a non-traditional ceremony at The Flaxmill in the New Zealand South Island city of Oxford, and were dismembered by All Blacks icon Richie McCaw.
The couple announced they had secretly married in October – and those moments were recorded and shown to guests at their second wedding.
Former All Black Campbell Johnstone (right) married his partner Ben Thomson (left) in a ceremony that gave guests a very special surprise
The couple revealed during the ceremony that they had secretly married in October
‘Nobody knew what was going on. Even the groomsmen and our families didn’t know,” Johnstone said Women’s Day.
‘The two of us had a day where photographers filmed and photographed us getting ready together in a hotel. Then we went to Castle Hill Station and had our ceremony on top of a mountain,” Thomson explained.
“It was literally just us, the two photographers and the videographer on that hill, so it was pretty cool. We didn’t even have a celebrant.’
Johnstone said his favorite part of the day was the speech his sister gave.
“She told me she had just written something very quickly and very lightly,” he said.
‘She doesn’t like to talk in front of people, so I was really surprised at how well she spoke. It was very emotional.’
Thomson added that another of his favorite moments was when the couple snuck away from the party alone for ten minutes to eat a plate of food together.
“While guests mingled and enjoyed dessert, we managed to sneak up a hill outside to enjoy a plate of food and be alone for ten minutes,” he explained.
Former All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw (pictured hosting the World Cup after New Zealand’s 2011 victory) flew the couple in a helicopter to the ceremony
Thomson (pictured) made history when he came out as gay in 2023, after previously revealing his sexuality to loved ones
Johnstone said his favorite part of the wedding day was his sister’s speech
The rugby star (left) played 38 games for the Crusaders and earned three coveted All Blacks caps in 2005
“We watched the whole scene and stole a moment for ourselves. That must have been one of my favorite moments of the day.”
The newlyweds gave their 165 guests the chance to vote on the question: Should the grooms’ last name be Johnstone or Thomson?
The voting later showed that ‘Johnstone’ was the most chosen name.
The couple said they are considering a luxury safari in South Africa later this year for their honeymoon later.