The girlfriend of disgraced footballer Mitchell Pearce has been dubbed as a white-knight after turning his life around since his lewd act towards a dog.
Two years after the former Roosters sportsman simulated sex with a well-pampered Bondi pooch named Bella, the Newcastle Knights’ half-back has opted for a humble life with girlfriend Zoe Grant.
The 28-year-old became a viral sensation in 2016 after the incident with Bella the dog on a drunken night out on Australia.
Mitchell Pearce, 28, and Zoe Grant, 24, have moved to Newcastle after the footballer has changed his life around
The confronting mobile footage heard the footballer slur ‘I wanna f*** your dog, I don’t even care anymore.’
The video also saw the sportsman urinating on himself and attempting to kiss a woman.
The video became a viral sensation and Pearce was suspended for eight weeks, fined $125,000 and spent a month at a rehabilitation clinic in Thailand.
The footballer is heard saying ‘I wanna to f*** your dog, I don’t even care anymore’ in the mobile footage
The former Roosters halfback will co-captain the Knights in the opening round this week
Bella was the victim of the disgraced footballer’s drunken actions. He has since turned his life around with girlfriend Zoe Grant
In a press conference Pearce later admitted he had a problem with alcohol and the the incident on Australia Day was a sign he needed help.
He went overseas for treatment with his mother soon after the press conference was held.
The Footballer was under fire once the video was released with comments such as ‘hope karma kicks the s**t out of you’ and ‘that guy get a hiding yet?’ flooding social media.
Now the Newcastle Knights co-captain has settled to a quieter life up north with his girlfriend Zoe Grant.
The interior designer and fashion blogger helped Pearce decide what to do when he left the Roosters after 11 years.
‘My first thought (after leaving the Roosters) was what Zoe and I wanted to do together, she’s been my number one support,’ Pearce told The Sunday Telegraph.
Zoe Grant, 24, is an interior designer and fashion blogger from Orange in New South Wales
‘There’s no way I could’ve done this without her. She’s a beautiful woman – and ever since she’s come in to my life everything has been calmer.’
Zoe is from Orange in the Central Region of New South Wales.
The couple have a lot in common as their fathers, Wayne Pearce and James Grant, went down in history after their 1989 grand final loss playing for the Balmain Tigers.
The 24-year-old said the move to Newcastle has been difficult but helped their relationship along saying claiming the couple are stronger.
She said: ‘This was a huge thing – he’s been somewhere for his whole career and then to be completely thrown into a place that both of us hadn’t really been to.’