Former Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett recently welcomed his second child with second wife, Sharlene Fletcher.
And now fans are wondering what happened to Hackett’s first wife, Candice Alley.
The three-time gold medallist met singer-songwriter Alley in 2004, and the couple tied the knot in 2007.
At the time, the blonde beauty was riding high on the success of her hit single Falling, which reached the top five of the ARIA charts in 2003.
Two years after marrying Hackett, the couple welcomed twins -a boy named Jagger Emilio and a girl named Charlize Alley- in 2009.
Daily Mail Australia takes a look at what happened to Grant Hackett’s first wife Candice Alley. (The former couple are pictured in 2007)
Candice put her music career on hold to focus on being a wife and mother, but by 2011 her marriage to the Olympian hit a rough patch.
Police were called to the couple’s luxury Melbourne apartment after midnight following a dispute that took place after the pair attended Derby Day together.
Hackett downplayed the drama, telling the Herald Sun at the time that he was ‘overwhelmingly embarrassed’ by the incident while insisting that there was nothing to worry about.
‘The events of Saturday evening were very much unfortunate and out of character for me. There has been speculation about Candice and I and our personal property, which is all fine,’ he explained.
‘I am overwhelmingly embarrassed and apologetic and look forward to putting this incident behind us.’
Candice broke into the spotlight in 2003 with her hit single Falling
The singer-songwriter performed the pop song at the 2003 ARIA Awards
Hackett later told Channel Nine that the incident was just an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’ and they were dealing with ‘private issues’.
‘Candice is 100% okay, our apartment is 100% okay and so are our twins, so it is all a bit of an unfortunate misunderstanding that we have to deal with,’ he said.
Despite claiming that they were happy in their marriage, within a year the couple had officially separated, breaking the news in May of 2012.
The three-time gold medallist met Alley in 2004, and the couple tied the knot in 2007 before welcoming two children together. (Pictured in 2010)
Just two months later, Candice came under police investigation for allegedly removing items from from a posh Melbourne boutique.
However, she did not face charges over the alleged incident after the owner of the stores withdrew her complaint from police.
Buckets and Spades owner Zlata Relin said that she’d been contacted by Alley’s lawyers and that they were able to resolve the issue.
‘They gave me a call on Friday and they were very helpful and said they will pay for the items,’ she explained to the Herald Sun.
In 2011, police were called to the couple’s luxury Melbourne apartment after midnight following a dispute that took place after the pair attended Derby Day together. (Pictured in 2009 at the Melbourne Cup)
Candice and Grant finalised their divorce in 2013 and the Falling hitmaker faded from the spotlight.
‘Towards the end, the hurt was too exhausting and depleting for me to continue the marriage. When we separated, there were no tears because I had run out,’ Candice told New Idea about the split.
After seemingly vanishing from the public eye, the songstress re-emerged in 2015 by landing a recurring guest role on Neighbours.
She played Cecilia Saint on the series, a character who she confessed was ‘a bit of a bad girl’.
In 2012, Candice came under police investigation for allegedly removing items from from a posh Melbourne boutique
After seemingly vanishing from the public eye, the songstress re-emerged in 2015 by landing a recurring guest role on Neighbours
Once the role wrapped up in 2016, Candice fell back into obscurity, but she did give an interview that year discussing the struggles of being a single parent.
‘My children are very happy because of some of the decisions I’ve made. Being a mum is the most important job in the world because you’re raising people and trying to shape them. All you can do is the best you can,’ she told Kidspot.
When it came to her acrimonious divorce from Grant, the star said, ‘Luckily with my children, they didn’t have any idea of what was going on.’
She added, ‘I didn’t have to do any explaining. It was easier for me.’
These days, Candice seems to have completely disappeared from the spotlight and no longer updates her social media accounts.
Hackett took over as chief executive of investment firm Generation Life in January, 2020 having worked at the company since 2017
The Australian swimming legend (pictured with his newborn daughter and son Edward, four) welcomed his second child with second wife Sharlene in August
Meanwhile, Hackett moved on with Sharlene Fletcher, marrying the brunette beauty in 2021 and welcoming two children together.
Hackett’s current picturesque life is not what anyone would have predicted just six years ago when he went missing for days after a fight with his family.
His disappearance after an argument with his father and a punch-up with his brother saw his family begging him to come home on TV in fear of his safety.
‘He’s a danger to himself… we’ve reached the end of the road,’ his brother Craig said at the time.
‘This is a completely different person. He’s there in body, but he’s not there in mind, soul or spirit.’
Hackett suffered a black eye and broken jaw in the fight, posting a photo of his injuries on social media.
The episode followed troubles with alcohol and sleeping pill addiction amid a bitter custody fight with his then-wife Candice.
In February 2017, the embattled swimming star accused his brother of beating him up in a social media post which read: ‘My brother comments to the media… but does anyone know he beat the s**t out of me’
It all came to a head when the former Olympic swimming champion was arrested at his parents house in February 2017. He’s pictured in the back of the police car following his arrest
Hackett was spotted wandering round Melbourne’s Crown casino half-naked (pictured) in February 2014 after taking the sleeping pill Stilnox
In 2014 he was seen wandering disoriented around Crown Casino wearing only a singlet tied around his waist after his son wandered away from their hotel room.
After a failed swimming comeback, he was arrested in April 2016 accused of tweaking the nipples of a male passenger on a Virgin flight.
He later apologised and admitted to drinking half a bottle of gin before the flight.
The saga with his family followed less than a year later in February 2017, but led to him checking himself into rehab in California.
His stint there was a turning point, and he’s now the Chief Executive Officer of investment firm Generation Life.
READ MORE: Olympic gold medalist Grant Hackett goes for a stroll with his wife Sharlene and newborn daughter in Melbourne
