Frances Abbott was spotted looking very serious as she met with her father Tony for the first time since her shock engagement to Olympic rower Sam Loch after just two weeks of meeting him.
The personal trainer was not wearing a ring as she strolled through the streets of Forestville, in Sydney’s northern suburbs, dressed in active wear on Wednesday morning after flying interstate from Melbourne the night before.
Conversation appeared strained between the two as they discussed upcoming wedding plans.
The pair have been known to clash before; with Frances a huge same-sex marriage advocate and Mr Abbott a leading proponent the No campaign and supporter of the traditional view of marriage.
Instead of meeting the parents, Loch, 34, stayed at home in Melbourne and took his two dogs for a walk.
‘Wedding planning’: Frances Abbott enjoyed an early-morning walk with her father Tony on Wednesday
It was the first time the pair had caught up since news broke that Frances, 26, was engaged to Olympic rower Sam Loch
Frances, a personal trainer from Melbourne, revealed she said yes to Loch despite only meeting him two weeks ago
‘We’ve just been on a nice walk through the backstreets of Forestville, we talked about all sorts of things, including wedding plans!,’ Abbott said
Not interested in meeting the parents? Frances’ fiancé Sam Loch stayed at home and took his two dogs for a walk
Frances, 26, took to Instagram to document the overdue catch-up with her father, filming herself asking: ‘What did we just do?’
‘We’ve just been on a nice walk through the backstreets of Forestville, we talked about all sorts of things, including wedding plans!’ Mr Abbott shot back.
Frances kept her athletic figure hidden with matching black tights and a long-sleeve shirt, while Mr Abbott wore baggy white cargo shorts and a t-shirt with a DNA logo.
Mr Abbott reposted the father-daughter moment to Twitter, captioning it ‘Early morning walk in Forestville with Francie’ and tagging the local newspaper.
Frances took to Instagram to document her catch-up with ‘old mate’ Tony, who is the former prime minister of Australia
Mr Abbott wore baggy white cargo shorts and a t-shirt with a DNA logo while Frances hid her athletic figure with black tights and a long-sleeve shirt
Mr Abbott said he was ‘really thrilled at the news of Francie and Sam’s engagement’ on Monday
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Frances Abbott announced her engagement to the Olympian rower on Instagram (pictured) on Sunday
The 60-year-old former prime minister of Australia confirmed news of his daughter’s engagement on social media on Monday night.
Using two tweets to post his message, the Liberal MP said: ‘Really thrilled at the news of Francie and Sam’s engagement.
‘We are very proud of her and the Abbotts are looking forward to welcoming Sam into the family.’
Frances made the announcement on her Instagram account on Sunday, sharing photo booth picture strips of herself and Olympic rower Loch, 34, adding the engagement notice in the caption.
‘Hey Feyonce,’ she wrote.
‘Two weeks was all it took to know that forever with you was a mighty fine idea.’
Ms Abbott added hashtags reading: ‘why wait’, ‘he liked it so he put a ring on it’ and ‘let’s do this’.
Tony Abbott congratulated his daughter on her surprise engagement on Twitter (pictured)
Fitness runs in the family: Frances started competitive bodybuilding last year, while her father Tony has long maintained an emphasis on regular excercise in his everyday life
The pair both wore jogging shoes as they worked up a sweat early on Wednesday morning
Frances (pictured in a competition) has undergone a drastic transformation since taking up professional bodybuilding
Frances – who works as a personal trainer at Life Hub gym in Melbourne – has undergone a drastic transformation since taking up professional bodybuilding last year.
She recently told Daily Mail Australia the bodybuilding competitions were an ‘exciting experiment’ for herself.
‘One week to go. The home stretch. Stage is in sight. It ain’t gonna be easy. But it sure as hell is exciting,’ Frances posted on one of her training Instagram photos.
‘No mirror, just judges and a crowd of people and not much in the way of pants, just a few inches of Lycra and some bling bling [sic],’ she wrote next to another snap.
Stunning photographs of her competing in the Australian ICN Victorian State Titles competition in September showcased her incredibly athletic physique.
Fiancé Sam Loch, who at 34 is eight years Frances’ senior, is a burly Olympic rower with the word ‘commit’ tattooed across his rock-hard abs and a head of hair that could rival Thor.
Loch holds multiple world records for rowing and competed in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics – but now offers ‘online coaching to a chosen few’.
Conversation appeared strained between the two as they discussed upcoming wedding plans
Mr Abbott and Frances