Sam Newman has confirmed his new relationship with Olympian and fitness guru Sue Stanley.
The 80-year-old former AFL player told the Herald Sun this week that they have been friends for a few years, before their relationship recently developed into something more.
“She is my friend, she is my partner, at this stage I’m happy and you know how relationships are -everything is tickety-boo,’’ Newman said.
Stanley and Newman first met at the end of 2023 and have since spent months travelling around in a caravan together, sharing details of their travels on social media.
“I’ve been away on two extended breaks with her and I’d say if two people can withstand each other at such close quarters for that amount of time, you’re through to the semis without dropping a set,” he said.
“We cohabit,’’ Newman added. “We gave it a fair trial over nine months in a caravan -what could go wrong.”
Stanley, 59, represented Australia in waterskiing at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, but began her sporting career in gymnastics. Ten years later she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for her contribution to the sport of aerobics.
In 2022 she was crowned Ms Fitness World Champion, an aerobics and beauty pageant.
The couple have attended several public events recently, including the Australian Open and the 2024 Sport Australia Hall of Fame event in Melbourne.
This is Newman’s first relationship since losing his wife, Amanda Brown, in 2021.
Brown sadly passed away due to a stroke, with Newman finding her lying on the floor of their Docklands apartment.
“I’m just devastated, I can’t say anything else,” Newman said at the time.
Newman and Brown were together for 19 years before her death at the age of 50.
Images: Instagram
