'So blessed': Grant Hackett gets hitched in secret wedding ceremony
Grant Hackett and fiancee Sharlene Fletcher have tied the knot in a secret and intimate wedding ceremony in Melbourne.
The Aussie Olympic swimming legend and his partner shared pictures of the magic moment after revealing that the coronavirus pandemic had wrecked plans for a bigger wedding.
'LITTLE SECRET': Fans react to incredible Maria Sharapova news
'IT'S OBSCENE': Star's wife in ugly Test loss twist
'DISGUSTING': Uproar as WAG's photo sparks ugly backlash
Hackett and Fletcher had just two friends present for their nuptials, as well as their 11-month-old son Edward and Hackett's twins from his previous marriage.
The swimming great revealed on social media that the couple "no longer wanted to wait" to get married, but said they would plan for a bigger celebration with family and friends, once coronavirus restrictions have eased up.
In a touching post on social media, Hackett said that while 2020 had been extremely tough, it was a "perfect way to finish off" the year.
“I feel so blessed to call you my beautiful wife @sharhackett,” he wrote.
“With a year that’s been filled with so much uncertainty it’s been such a perfect way to finish off 2020.
“With COVID-19 continuing to delay our nuptials and the ability to properly plan our wedding, with all of our friends and family in the one location both locally and from overseas, Sharlene and I just wanted to say ‘I do’!
“We are equally as excited to celebrate this milestone once we can properly plan a larger event with more certainty and celebrate with all of the amazing people we have in our lives.
“Even though this is not our ‘official’ wedding with all of our friends and family, it still could not have been a more intimate and perfect way to marry my best friend. I will always take care of you and our family. I love you with all of my heart.
“Thank you to Jagger Hackett for being the most amazing ring bearer and best man and our best friends @felipe_may_araujo @em.turner_araujo to witness this special moment.”
Mrs Hackett ‘on cloud nine’
Hackett's new wife said she was on "cloud nine" after tying the knot with the 40-year-old sporting great.
“We had such a beautiful intimate ceremony with just two of our very best friends + all the munchkins! I’m currently still on cloud nine,” she wrote.
“To my husband @grant__hackett thank you for making me feel so special and loved. I cannot wait to continue doing life with you and growing old together.
“We’ll still be having our big wedding day with all our family and close friends (that we had planned to do this year), but considering the world we’re living in right now, we knew we couldn’t get everyone together the way we had hoped. After yesterday it had made us even more excited about sharing this special day with everyone.
“Love, love, love.”
Hackett and Fletcher have been been engaged since last year and were dating since 2018 after meeting three years earlier.
The Aussie swimmer has twins with ex-wife and singer Candice Alley - the couple divorcing in 2013 after six years of marriage.
Hackett has had well publicised battles with substance abuse and depression and is now an advocate for mental health, as well as the CEO of investment company.
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.