The fiancée of 7News AFL journalist Mitch Cleary has been spotted at her parents’ home with their seven-month-old daughter after admitting to kissing another woman while she was pregnant.
The high-profile footy reporter, who broke stories about the Swans scandal, found himself on the other side of the headlines this week after admitting he had an off-season kiss with a Collingwood employee, who the Daily Mail has chosen not to name.
Incredibly, the indiscretion was made public on Sunday by Cleary’s partner, horse racing commentator Kate Watts, in a since-deleted Instagram post in which she named the Magpies employee.
The Daily Mail understands it was just a kiss and not an affair, and that it took place during a media call in Dubai last November.
A day after the story was picked up by the wider media – with the Mail first to name Cleary as the man at the center of the storm – Watts was pictured heading towards her parents’ house with her child in tow, wearing black pants with a blue background blouse.
The new mother, who gave birth in February, appeared to put on a brave face amid the scrutiny her fiancé, who issued a groveling apology about his indiscretion on Wednesday.
Kate Watts, the fiancée of 7News AFL journalist Mitch Cleary, has been spotted at her parents’ home with their seven-month-old daughter after he admitted to kissing another woman
The AFL reporter found himself on the other side of the news this week after admitting he kissed a Collingwood employee when Watts (pictured) was expecting their first child.
The Mail can now reveal that his kiss with the Pies staffer, who contrary to online rumors is not a member of the club’s media department, took place at a junket attended by several big names in the media and Collingwood players..
Sporty stars Darcy Moore and Isaac Quaynor were at the meeting, as were footy-playing brothers Josh and Nick Daicos.
Gossip columnist Jackie Epstein of the Herald-Sun was also in attendance, as was Cleary’s Seven colleague, senior television news cameraman Damian Shine.
Cleary returned to the airwaves on Wednesday morning, just hours after admitting he had lost his judgment in response to the Mail’s exclusive report naming him.
After previously issuing a contrite statement on his Instagram, he apologized for his indiscretion for a second time on his AFL trades podcast, The Tradies.
Cleary spent the first two minutes discussing the scandal in his weekly podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow AFL reporter Sam McClure.
“Before we get into the regular portion of the pod, Mitch, it would be unfair to us, our listeners, and our fanbase if we don’t address what has happened over the last 24 hours that you have publicly made a statement about,” McClure began.
“Do you want to add anything to that statement at all?”
Racing commentator Watts took to Instagram on Sunday to address the female employee
Now she has been spotted heading to her parents’ house with the couple’s child
Watts, who gave birth in February, appeared to put on a brave face amid the media attention surrounding her fiancé, who issued a groveling apology over his indiscretion on Wednesday.
Cleary replied: ‘Yes, I made a very serious error of judgment on a night out last year and I have to deal with the consequences.
‘It has caused so much pain, stress and shame for those close to me, especially Kate and my daughter.
‘I work through it with the people around me in a private setting because it is a personal matter.
“And I… the people around me, the thoughts of everyone involved, come first. I have to bear that and I have to deal with the consequences of it.’
McClure declined to dwell on the subject, adding that it was now a personal matter for Cleary and his family.
“We’re here to talk about football,” Cleary agreed, before acknowledging how their show sometimes touches on the personal lives of sports stars – something critics have called out in the wake of the scandal.
“We cross the line on transactions and things like that in terms of people’s personal lives, so it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t come out here and say I made a big mistake,” Cleary added.
“But we are a footy show, there are footy deals on the horizon. I’d like to talk about that.’
Cleary admitted there was an error in judgment during the offseason. He says it was a kiss with a Collingwood employee, who is not a member of the club’s media team as previously believed
Watts sensationally outed her fiancé on social media on Sunday night, sharing a photo of Cleary at a football match next to a sign proclaiming him the ‘GOAT’, or ‘greatest of all time’.
However, her accompanying caption – which named a Magpies employee and accused her of involvement with Cleary – quickly became the talking point in the AFL and Melbourne media.
Senior sources at both Seven and Collingwood confirmed to the Daily Mail on Tuesday afternoon that Cleary kissed a Pies employee during an off-season meeting.
However, they categorically denied that an affair had taken place, and the Mail suggests no otherwise.
Watts identified the Collingwood employee in her post, which was deleted after about an hour. We have chosen not to name her or photograph her.
Earlier on Tuesday, sources confirmed that the kiss took place during a media call.
Hours later, a Collingwood insider said: “Last year a mutual kiss took place during personal time on an off-season trip.
‘The employee regrets the incident and apologizes for the impact his actions have caused.
Cleary said the kiss was a terrible lapse in judgment and apologized for the pain and embarrassment caused
Cleary apologized again on The Tradies podcast, admitting a major criticism: that his podcast touches on players’ personal lives
“Rumors circulating online that the employee is a member of the media department are completely false.”
After the Daily Mail broke the story, Cleary released a statement apologizing for his “terrible error of judgement.”
“I am sorry for the pain and embarrassment I have caused to all parties,” he wrote on Instagram.
“The kiss was a terrible error of judgment that I deeply regret, and I bear the consequences privately with my family and those closest to me.
“I don’t want to diminish my actions, but most of what has been suggested about the circumstances is incorrect.”
Watts herself comes from AFL royalty – her younger brother, Jack, played for Port Adelaide and Melbourne.
Cleary and Watts, whose daughter was born in February, got engaged two years ago and have been together for about five years.
