Grant Hackett's startling reveal in Aussie swimming 'love triangle' saga

Australian swimming great Grant Hackett has spoken out about the 'love triangle' rumours that have overshadowed the Commonwealth Games and left Kyle Chalmers at 'breaking point' in Birmingham.

Chalmers brushed aside the scandal to power his way to gold in the 100m freestyle on Monday, but admitted afterwards that it was "hard to enjoy" because of all the drama that came before it.

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Chalmers had earlier raged over media reporting about his relationships with fellow high-profile swimmers Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson.

The 24-year-old dated McKeon last year before they split, with McKeon since moving on with former pop star Simpson.

Chalmers blasted media attention on a supposed 'love triangle' as fake news, which he said made him feel like departing Birmingham and reconsidering his swimming future.

The Olympic champion also revealed the mental toll it had taken on him and how the controversy had left his mother in tears when he spoke to her.

Chalmers, McKeon and Simpson have all insisted that there is no friction between them, indicating that they are desperate to move on from the ugly speculation.

Now Hackett - who has acted as a mentor for Simpson during his incredible swimming comeback - has revealed the trio actually met in private and put the drama behind them.

“They’re professionals, they’re teammates, they get along with each other, they respect each other where they need to, and they go out there and they execute performances for the country and they support one another,” Hackett told Nine’s Today Show.

“You’ve already got the pressure of performance from the whole country – there’s a huge amount of expectation when it comes to the Australian swim team, particularly when it comes to the Commonwealth Games.

“We always have that first week, and we always dominate usually, but that does come with a lot of pressure in terms of that performance.

“So this continually gets out there really distracts from some of the great performances.

“This was a story that was back at the Commonwealth Games trials a couple of months ago, and the three of them put it to bed.

“Kyle’s come out very openly and said, this is a bunch of rubbish. No one had any problems. They couldn’t believe the fuss around it.”

Kyle Chalmers' sad admission after 100m freestyle gold

Following his win in the 100m freestyle final, Chalmers now has three gold medals from the Birmingham Games, following earlier relay wins in the mixed 4x100m freestyle and men's 4x100m freestyle.

However, he made the sad admission after the final that he was struggling to feel happy about it.

"It's a bittersweet feeling for me," he admitted.

"Instead of enjoying the moment, it's almost a big sense of relief to be honest with you.

"I just hope no-one has to go through what I have had to go through over the last 48 hours.

"This last 48 hours has been hell. It has been an emotional roller coaster.

"Even speaking to my coach before the race, I almost started crying and I'm not an emotional person."

Chalmers added: "It is special to win but unfortunately I think it is hard to enjoy the moment when all that has happened has gone on."

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