Campbell Brown has been photographed spending Christmas Eve taking in some exercise and chatting with a friend in a Melbourne park just before he’s due to make a bit of Australian sporting history on Saturday.
The 41-year-old premiership winner with Hawthorn was dressed casually in T-shirt and shorts as he enjoyed a walk, talk and coffee with his companion in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
He and other footy greats are due to create an Aussie sporting first when they take on a top team in the wildly popular Indian sport of Kabaddi on Saturday.
Brown – who is currently working as a commentator on both AFL and horse racing with SEN and Channel Seven – made headlines last year when he was rumoured to be dating cricket legend Matthew Hayden’s TV star daughter Grace.
Hayden was 21 years old at the time, with the pair photographed dancing together in November while acting as ambassadors for the Ladbrokes Summer Racing Festival in Tasmania.
Brown and Hayden were both represented by TLA Worldwide, a leading talent and marketing agency that connects sporting names with brands and fans.
The pair are understood to have known each other for the last three years and both attended the Royal Ascot races in June 2023.
Campbell Brown and a friend were spotted enjoying a Christmas Eve stroll through Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens
The footy great and his companion appeared to be in great spirits as they enjoyed a spot of exercise and a coffee
Brown is about to make a little bit of Australian sporting history this week
Brown is currently working as a commentator on AFL and horse racing with Seven and SEN
The link between Brown and Hayden surfaced just weeks after he split from his wife of 10 years, Jessica Johnson.
Their break-up was reported soon after she gave birth to their third baby Bailey in late August 2023.
His wife was reportedly ‘devastated’ and ‘blindsided’ by the breakup.
‘It’s all so raw and came out of nowhere,’ a source told News Corp at the time.
The pair’s eldest son Boston is six years old, and middle son Baker is two.
The family have lived outside Melbourne at Kangaroo Grounds, where they keep retired racehorses.
At only 22 years old, Grace has quickly made a a name for herself in the television and fashion industries
Her breakout role as Channel Seven’s Oaks Day Ambassador in 2022 propelled her into the spotlight.
She has since become a part of Seven’s horse racing team, where she works as a fashion reporter during its spring carnival racing coverage.
Since being connected to Brown she has moved on with boyfriend Wilson Statham, with Hayden debuting their romance back in June as the couple were photographed embracing during a walk through the exclusive Sydney suburb of Woollahra.
Wilson is the son of Queensland cotton moguls Danielle and David Statham.
Last year, Brown was rumoured to have been involved with Grace Hayden (pictured), the TV star daughter of cricket legend Matt
The Hawthorn premiership winner split with his wife of 10 years, Jessica (pictured together) in August last year, soon after she gave birth to their third son
Along with his racing commitments, Brown works as a racing presenter on SEN radio and co-hosts The Browny Podcast alongside AFL legend and media personality Jonathan Brown and broadcaster Dean ‘Deano’ Thomas.
He’s the son of AFL legend Mal Brown, and carved out a stellar career in his own right with Hawthorn and the Gold Coast.
Brown played a total of 205 first-grade games from 2002 to 2013, winning the 2008 premiership with the Hawks and making the All-Australian team in 2007.
Known for his aggressive and uncompromising style of play, he was suspended for a total of 29 weeks in his career.
On Saturday, Brown is due to join other footy legends including ex-Swans star Josh Kennedy to play a game of the traditional Indian sport, Kabaddi.
Brown is the captain-coach of the Aussie side, which will make history when they take on an Indian team at John Cain Arena.
‘A big day for Australian sport as a nation,’ Brown told SEN.
‘Australians love their sport, it doesn’t matter whether it’s football, cricket, badminton, boxing, hockey, they really get behind their national side.’
The sport – which is beloved by hundreds of millions in India – is sometimes described as a combination of rugby, tag and British bulldog.
