NRL star and commentator Braith Anasta has revealed why he feels sorry for rugby league superstar Nathan Cleary over his romance with Mary Fowler.
Ever since Ny Breaking Australia exclusively revealed the sports stars were an item, the power couple has been one of the biggest stories in Australian sport.
Anasta, who has also made her fair share of media headlines over the years, says he knows exactly what Cleary is going through.
“I was at a GQ dinner with Nathan mid-season,” Anasta said The Jimmy and Nath Show on Thursday.
‘What a person he is. I was so impressed. We had a nice chat all evening.
“It’s very hard for him when you’re a young boy or girl like Mary.
‘They are in love and just want to continue the relationship like everyone else, but they can’t.
‘There is a lot of pressure on both of them. And it puts pressure on the relationship.
Footy star turned TV commentator Braith Anasta (pictured) says he feels sorry for Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler because of all the scrutiny they face
Anasta spent a whole night chatting to Nathan Cleary (pictured with Fowler) and was ‘so impressed’ with the Panthers halfback
“I feel sorry for him because he just wants to play football and he just wants to be in love and enjoy that relationship.”
Anasta went on to say that unfortunately the media attention won’t stop because people are so interested in the couple.
The show’s hosts then joked that Anasta should ask Cleary if she could propose to Fowler.
“I’m going to call him now,” Anasta joked. “Or we’ll just start a rumor.”
Cleary recently talked about what the media attention has been like and how he and Fowler are dealing with it.
“One day I was driving and I realized this car was following me,” he told the Marlee & Me podcast.
‘Then I took a few turns, took a few turns, they took the exact same turns. I was almost in a car chase.
Anasta said the intense spotlight puts pressure on the couple and their relationship
Fowler’s commitments with Manchester City in Britain mean she cannot come to Australia to support her husband as he stars in next Sunday’s NRL grand final
‘That was astonishing to me. I understand it, I think, because people care [about the romance].
“It all happened so quickly, and with her relationship in the public eye, it was hard to keep your wits about you.”
Cleary also addressed rumors that he had staged the photos of him and Fowler cuddling in Perth, with the fact that he was shirtless at the time fueling speculation that he had tipped off the photographer.
“I swear to God I had no idea,” he said.
‘Leading up to that we were probably quite blasé about how much people actually cared.
“After the park we went back to the car and then we saw someone there with the big camera, and about a few hours later it all came out.”
The pair first attracted attention as a potential couple when they were spotted together last year on a leisurely walk along the Nepean River in Penrith in Sydney’s west.
They were then seen sharing an ice cream after a promotional event hosted by Adidas, a brand that both endorse.
Since those Perth photos were taken, the couple have shared many loved-up photos on social media, with Fowler catching up with Cleary on when she could come back to Australia to enjoy or pay tribute to her work at Manchester City. playing and training commitments with the Matildas.
Rumors recently surfaced linking Cleary with a possible move to play in the English Super League competition to get closer to his partner.
In what has been described as bizarre speculation, the Panthers playmaker is considering taking a year away from the NRL in a move that would send shockwaves through Australian football.
That seems unlikely, however, with Panthers boss Brian Fletcher and Cleary’s manager George Mimis insisting the idea was never raised with them.