Grant Denyer was falsely accused by New Idea magazine last week of cheating on his wife Chezzi with 22-year-old dancer Lily Cornish.
And just a day before the hurtful fabrication hit newsstands, the Denyers enjoyed a family outing near their sprawling farm in Bathurst, NSW.
The couple arrived at the city centre with their youngest child, eight-month-old daughter Sunday, in a stroller.
Before the storm: Grant Denyer enjoyed a family day out in Bathurst on October 17, just a day before New Idea magazine falsely accused him of having an affair with a woman half his age
In photos taken on October 17, Grant stepped out of his family’s silver car before pulling Sunday’s collapsible stroller out of the boot.
He dressed casually in a blue jumper, white jeans and rainbow-coloured Nike sneakers.
Chezzi exited the car carrying a bundle of children’s clothing and toys.
Dad duties! The Family Feud host stepped out of his family’s silver car before pulling Sunday’s collapsible stroller out of the boot
She has her hands full! Chezzi exited the car carrying a bundle of children’s clothing and toys
The mother of three looked chic in a long-sleeve blue midi dress with button-down detailing.
She styled her blonde hair in loose waves and covered her face with a blue mask.
Weaving through the crowds, the Denyers pushed Sunday’s pram down the footpath as they made their way to the shops.
Beautiful in blue! The mother of three looked chic in a long-sleeve blue midi dress
Casual: He dressed casually in a blue jumper, white jeans and rainbow-coloured Nike sneakers
The sighting came a day before New Idea published a front-page story falsely implying Grant was having an affair with dancer Lily Cornish.
The magazine published photos of Grant with his hand on Lily’s thigh in between rehearsals for Dancing with the Stars: All Stars in Sydney.
While the images were accompanied by the headline ‘Grant Denyer Caught Out’, the full set of images has since been released, offering a more complete picture of what happened.
Bonding: The happy couple were seen chatting on the footpath after getting out of their car
The original article falsely implied Grant and Lily were cheating on their respective partners – a claim the Denyers have strongly denied – but the photos themselves actually suggest a platonic relationship.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any infidelity took place.
For example, while Grant did place his hand on Lily’s thigh at one stage, it wasn’t necessarily an intimate gesture.
Hot wheels! Grant pushed Sunday’s stroller as he and Chezzi made their way down the street
Fake news: The sighting came a day before New Idea published a front-page story falsely implying Grant was having an affair with dancer Lily Cornish
One photo appears to show him patting the young dancer’s leg in a fatherly manner, which is what he maintains happened.
There were other moments when they acted like ordinary friends and colleagues.
Shots of them looking chummy at the boat party and linking arms outside were seemingly cropped to make it appear as if they were alone.
Deceptive: New Idea published the images alongside the headline ‘Grant Denyer Caught Out’
In reality, they were surrounded by their co-stars, including the likes of former Bachelorette Angie Kent and The Morning Show host Kylie Gillies.
Grant admitted on Thursday he’d ’embarrassed’ his family, telling 2Day FM’s The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed & Erin the pictures actually showed him consoling his friend after she had received some sad personal news.
The images, he said, were taken by a paparazzo just moments after he and Lily had finished speaking to his wife Chezzi over FaceTime.
Denial: The original article falsely suggested Grant and Lily (left) were cheating on their respective partners – a claim the Denyers have strongly denied – but the photos themselves actually suggest a platonic relationship
‘It’s such a horrible, made-up story that’s embarrassing for everyone,’ he said.
‘We’d just been on the phone to Chezzi, we had been FaceTiming… It had been a bit of a tough day and Lil had a bit going on in her personal life.’
‘It’s not up to me to divulge what it [the personal issue] is but I was just giving her a bit of a pep talk and fatherly advice,’ he added.
Happy family: Grant and Chezzi, who married in 2010, are parents to daughters Sailor, Scout and Sunday. Pictured when Chezzi was pregnant with Sunday
‘I just gave her a tap on the leg and she sort of leaned in for a bit of a hug after a chat and that’s the photo on the [New Idea] front page.’
Lily also addressed the New Idea story on Thursday, sharing a post to Instagram thanking her fans for being so understanding.
‘Thanks everyone for the kind words and messages. I really appreciate the amount of love that has come out of this yucky / disrespectful situation. Killing it with kindness,’ she wrote.
‘It’s such a horrible, made-up story’: Grant admitted on Thursday he’d ’embarrassed’ his family, telling 2Day FM’s The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed & Erin the pictures actually showed him consoling his friend after she had received some sad personal news’
Speaking up: Lily addressed the New Idea story on Thursday, sharing this post to Instagram thanking her fans for their ‘kind words and messages’
Grant and his wife had categorically denied last Monday’s New Idea report in a series of social media posts on Wednesday.
Chezzi posted screenshots of the article – which falsely suggested her husband was having an affair with a woman half his age – on Instagram and blasted the magazine for fabricating such a ‘gross and mean’ story.
She went on to claim the photographer who took the photos had apologised to her for the images being ‘taken out of context’.
She also pointed out that Lily’s long-term boyfriend Jock White had been pictured visiting her during rehearsals for DWTS.
Grant later issued his own blistering statement, calling the article a ‘brutal’ attack on a ’22-year-old kid’ and a ‘dad of three girls’.
Backlash: Chezzi posted screenshots of the article on Instagram and blasted the magazine for fabricating such a ‘gross and mean’ story