Matt Shirvington’s athletic career made him a household name.
But the sprinter-turned-broadcaster, 42, and his wife, Jessica, 41, told The Australian Women’s Weekly on Thursday that fame has its downsides.
Jessica, a young adult novelist, said the couple had received threats against their children, Sienna, 14, Winnie, 12, and Lincoln, three, in the past.
Public life: Matt Shirvington’s athletic career, and his eventual foray into TV presenting, made him a household name, most recently as the host of Seven’s Holey Moley
She recalled a terrifying incident when their daughters where little and she received an anonymous phone call while Matt travelling for work.
She said the man on the phone, who was a stranger to her, ‘was telling me which child he was going to take.’
‘He was putting on a voice, a girl’s voice. I said, “Oh, okay, if you know so much, tell me where we live and then we’ll be scared.”‘
But calling the stalker’s bluff was a mistake because he ‘started describing the jacaranda tree out the front of the house’.
‘It was enough to know that it’s not our choice how exposed they are,’ she added.
Private: The champion runner, 42, and his author wife Jessica, 41, revealed the reason why they do not to publicly share photos of their three children – Sienna, 14, Winnie, 12, and Lincoln, three
As a result of this frightening encounter, the Shirvingtons have decided not to share photos of their children, although they are still happy to discuss them publicly.
Matt is perhaps best known for his infamous appearance at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where he wore a revealing Lycra outfit.
He previously said the footage of the race was a ‘curse’, but he also joked that it was the ‘greatest moment in my career’.
Frightened: Jessica, a young adult novelist, recalled answering a phone when their daughters where little and Matt was away travelling. The stranger told her they were going to take one of her girls and began to describe details of their home which was enough to scare her
Remember this! Fans may recall the champion runner’s infamous appearance at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where he wore a Lycra outfit – a number that caught everyone’s eye. He previously spoke about the race and admitted that it has been hard to shake – even to this day
‘I have spent a long time trying to forget all of that but I must admit, it does come up from time to time,’ he told The Courier-Mail.
‘Still my best mate’s favourite line when we are out and someone brings it up is, “Just remember, the camera puts on 10 pounds.”‘
Matt finished fourth at the 1998 Games and within three-hundredths of a second off a medal, smashing the Australian 100m record in the process.
Entertainment: He retired from athletics in 2008 and went on to become a Fox Sports NRL commentator, before transferring to Channel Seven in 2020. Matt recently co-hosted Seven’s mini-golf show Holey Moley with Rob Riggle
He retired from athletics in 2008 and went on to become a Fox Sports NRL commentator, before signing with Channel Seven last year.
Matt recently co-hosted Seven’s mini-golf show Holey Moley with Rob Riggle.
His next project is co-hosting Ultimate Tag with Abbey Gelmi.
Coming soon: His next project is co-hosting Ultimate Tag with Abbey Gelmi