Cathy Freeman has been photographed walking hand-in-hand with a mystery man in Cairns, less than a month after she and her husband of 15 years, James Marsh, announced their split.
The 51-year-old Australian Olympic gold medalist was spotted taking an intimate stroll along the coast with the man on Wednesday in what appeared to be a romantic outing.
Freeman looked thoroughly vacation-ready in a khaki linen dress, accessorizing with orange sandals and sunglasses.
She walked with a crutch on her forearm, while holding the man’s hand with her other arm.
Her male companion wore a pink shirt, gray shorts and a floppy-brimmed hat.
He was seen walking next to Freeman, wearing a pair of black flip-flops and carrying a khaki bag.
Two days after his split from Freeman in August, her ex Marsh was first spotted leaving a cafe in Brighton, Melbourne.
The 49-year-old man kept a low profile as he stepped out in a light turquoise hoodie and black sweatpants.
Cathy Freeman held hands with a mystery man during an intimate stroll along the coast in Cairns, less than a month after she and her husband from James Marsh announced their separation
Freeman and her estranged husband released a joint statement on August 16 announcing they were separating and would continue to care for their 13-year-old daughter Ruby together.
“After 15 years of marriage, we have sadly separated. We will continue to co-parent and this is our top priority,” the statement said, according to the Herald Sun.
‘We continue to enter into a professional and work-oriented collaboration through Estrella Sports Management.
‘Since this is a personal matter, we would appreciate it if you respected our privacy. We will therefore not comment further on this.’
The Australian Olympic gold medalist, 51, went for a walk along the waterfront with an unknown man in what appeared to be a romantic outing for the couple
Two days after their split in August, Freeman’s estranged husband Jame Marsh (pictured) was spotted alone for the first time leaving a cafe in Brighton, Melbourne.
The infamous athlete who doesn’t know much about herself has previously been in the news because of her love life.
She had a long-term relationship with her track and field partner Nic Bideau, who helped her win gold at the 2000 Olympics after their relationship ended.
Freeman was married to her first husband, Alexander “Sandy” Bodecker, from 1999 to 2003.
She was in a relationship with Australian actor Joel Edgerton, but they broke up in 2005. In 2009, she married her second husband, James Murch.
The 49-year-old kept a low profile as he stepped out in a hoodie and black sweatpants
He seemed very thoughtful and scrolled through his phone during the solo outing
In August, Freeman and Murch announced their shocking split after 15 years of marriage. Pictured together in 2016
In 2011, they welcomed a daughter, Ruby.
In her memoir, Freeman revealed the shocking news that she had had an affair with Edgerton during her marriage to Bodecker.
The former 400m runner still remembers the moment she told her ex-partner Bodecker that she was ‘in a relationship’.
“Lighting the cauldron at the Sydney Games was a piece of cake compared to the excitement that coursed through my veins as I listened to Alexander,” she wrote.
“I’m in a relationship,” Freeman wrote of her conversation with Bodecker.
“This is Joel Edgerton.”
Freeman made her name when, at the age of 16, she became the first Indigenous Australian to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
The sprinter and her husband released a joint statement announcing that they were separating and will continue to co-parent their 13-year-old daughter Ruby. Pictured together in 2014
She went on to win two more gold medals at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.
She finished first at the 1997 World Championships in the 400 metres and again in 1999.
In 2000, the indigenous Australian athlete took the entire country by storm when she lit the iconic Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.
At the Games, she won the women’s 400 meters in a time of 49.11 seconds.
Freeman eventually ended her athletic career in 2003.