A telling line in Alex McKinnon and his estranged wife Teigan’s statements about their break-up shows they may have been at odds about the split becoming public – as she’s spotted for the first time since the shock announcement.
The wheelchair-bound former football star and the mum-of-three both issued similar statements following their separation after five years of marriage.
But while Ms McKinnon criticised how the story had come out ‘without our consent’, his statement said nothing about it.
On Sunday morning, rugby league journalist Danny Weidler broke the news of their separation by saying the former Newcastle Knights player ‘has no issue with the story being written’ about them.
Teigan McKinnon was spotted on Monday – for the first time since the break up announcement
Alex McKinnon and Teigan (pictured) announced their break-up on Sunday after five years of marriage
Rugby league journalist Danny Weidler (pictured) broke the news of the couple’s separation
Ms McKinnon said in a statement on Instagram later that evening that the news was ‘made public without our consent’.
‘At this time, Alex and I are navigating this period of change together privately,’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘Due to our situation being made public without our consent, we are asking for our privacy to please be respected at this time.
‘We are together concentrating on protecting our family and children. We have the utmost respect for each other, and are both very grateful for the people, as well as all of the support that we have in our lives.’
Mr McKinnon issued a statement on the same day but, unlike his former partner, did not say intimate details were spilled without permission.
He wrote: ‘Due to our situation being made public, we ask that you respect out privacy as we concentrate on our family and children, as they are our main priority.’
On Monday, Ms McKinnon was spotted for the first time since the devastating break-up was announced.
Teigan McKinnon was spotted for the first time since the break up announcement on Monday
The couple (pictured at their twins’ birthday on Saturday) issued similar post break-up statements, with one major difference
Mr McKinnon made a statement (pictured) similar to one his ex-wife wrote announcing their split
She was pictured in Newcastle with her eldest daughter Harriet, who rode a tricycle down the street.
It was also revealed on Sunday that the pair had actually parted ways in January – leaving fans shocked.
Despite keeping up appearances, there have been subtle signs on the high profile couple’s Instagram pages recently that things may have been amiss.
Ms McKinnon hasn’t been wearing her wedding ring in social media photos recently, sparking commentary from her followers.
And while both parties attended the same friend’s wedding in March, they posted individual photos on their respective Instagram accounts which did not feature one another.
The couple were together for 12 years, married for five, and have three children – twins Audrey Jill and Violet John, and eldest daughter Harriet.
Ms McKinnon posted a photo of herself at a wedding in March (pictured) – without her husband
Mr McKinnon also posted a photo of himself at the same wedding – without his wife (pictured)
Mr McKinnon had proposed to his high school sweetheart from his hospital bed just days after his promising NRL career was cut short in March 2014, when he suffered a devastating spinal cord injury during a round-three match against Melbourne Storm.
He suffered fractures to his C4 and C5 vertebrae after a dangerous tackle close to half-time and was left a quadriplegic.
The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in the NSW Hunter Valley in October 2017 and welcomed Harriet into the world one day before their first wedding anniversary the following year.
Mr McKinnon had promised his bride that he would rise from his wheelchair when he popped the question, and he did just that at their wedding.
Alex McKinnon (pictured left) and his wife Teigan (right) announced their split over the weekend
The day before the ceremony, Ms McKinnon wrote to her followers on Instagram, ‘Tomorrow is the day we say ‘I do’ to the rest of our lives.’
The former Knight later reminisced about being able to leave his wheelchair during their stunning ceremony.
‘If we had to do that again I don’t know if I could do it, it was just everything just aligned on that day and it was perfect.
The pair – pictured here at the 2017 Dally M Awards – were high school sweethearts and have been married for five years
Teigan McKinnon is pictured with her twins Audrey Jill and Violet John who she shares with her now ex-partner Alex
‘Even after the ceremony myself and Teigan stood together in front of everybody there and got photos and it still blows my mind.
‘I had my hands locked in when I stood and I just kept crying and crying and I couldn’t even see when she turned up, I was in tears so much.
Shortly after daughter Harriet was born in 2018, Mr McKinnon revealed he had ‘made peace’ with the effects of the injury that changed his life forever.
Shortly after the birth of eldest daughter Harriet (pictured), Mr McKinnon revealed he had made peace with the injury that changed his life forever
‘I used to always think I would want to go back and I would want my old life back, but I have moved on. I really have. I never thought I would be able to say that but life just so different now.
‘I understand in each experience you can learn something from it and I am very lucky and happy with the life that I have right now… I really have [found peace]. I feel really comfortable in myself and I know me.’
The couple announced they were expecting twins in November 2020 and said they were left speechless when their GP broke the news.
The arrival of twins Audrey Jill and Violet John in April 2021 left the couple overjoyed, with Alex saying, ‘I’m an only child and so we always wanted a big family. I guess we’ve got our wish, that’s for sure’
‘We’re extremely grateful – with a million different emotions,’ Mr McKinnon said.
‘I’m still trying to get my head around all that stuff like two baby seats, two cots, two high chairs… it’s amazing how the rollercoaster of life works.
‘I’m an only child and so we always wanted a big family. I guess we’ve got our wish, that’s for sure.’
When the twins were born, Ms McKinnon said it felt ‘so natural’ to welcome both of the girls into the world.
‘Alex took Violet in his arms and Audrey was placed on my chest,’ she said of the moment.
‘In that moment, as the twins cried for each other, it was extremely overwhelming.’
Teigan McKinnon (pictured centre, holding daughter Harriet) and Alex McKinnon (right) when they announced she was pregnant with twins
She went on to say how it was clear the twins were aware of their own special bond.
‘They both arrived crying, but in our first sign of how close they are as twins and little babies, they stopped crying as soon as we placed them together on my chest.’
Mr McKinnon recently left his job at the Newcastle Knights, where he was the recruitment officer.
He is now studying at university and working for Fox Sports as a sideline reporter and analyst.
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