Wally Lewis has hosed down rumours he is no longer on speaking terms with his three children by celebrating his grandson’s sixth birthday.
The rugby league immortal rocked the sporting world last week when he confirmed his separation from his wife Jacqui, the mother of his three children.
Lewis, 61, said he quietly split with Jacqui last year after 36 years and is now in a new relationship, understood to be with Townsville mum and writer Lynda Adams.
He denied claims the relationship began before his marriage ended, and that his three adult children now aged in their 30s sided with their distraught mother and have fallen out with their famous dad.
Lewis appears to be on speaking terms with at least one of his children as he was seen visiting his eldest son Mitchell at his Brisbane home on Sunday.
Rugby league immortal Wally Lewis (pictured) embraces one of his grandsons while visiting his eldest son Mitchell in Brisbane on Sunday
Wally and Jacqui Lewis (pictured together in happier times at the 2018 Dally M awards) parted ways last year after 36 years of marriage
Casually dressed in a T-shirt, shorts, and a pair of thongs, Lewis looked delighted as he picked up and hugged one of his young grandsons in a warm embrace.
He was also seen with his son Mitchell outside the home as he visited to celebrate the sixth birthday of Mitchell’s second son Luke.
Mitchell, his wife, and other two sons later celebrated the birthday that night at a Brisbane Bullets NBL game against Melbourne United.
‘Birthday B-Ball for Luke at the Bullets. No win, but have a now-6-year old who wants to play basketball,’ Mitchell captioned an Instagram photo of his young family at the game.
Mitchell is a presenter at radio station Nova and is expecting his fourth child, a girl, with his wife Sarah, who is 20 weeks pregnant.
The rugby league immortal was pictured with eldest son Mitchell, amid reports his three children have sided with their distraught mother following the marriage split
Wally Lewis (pictured) was casually dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and thongs as he visited his son and grandchildren in Brisbane on Sunday
On Saturday, his father angrily hit back at explosive allegations he was having an affair before his marriage ended.
‘I have been at pains to say that our family as much as we are public figures ask that our privacy at this sad time be respected,’ Lewis told the Courier Mail in a text message.
‘We cannot control gossip but we know the true facts and much of this is simply not true.’
‘I will not be making any comments about this very private and sensitive matter.’
Channel Nine, Lewis’ employer, added that the network was ‘respecting the request from the family to not make any further comment’.
‘Lincoln and his mum have always been very tight… he’s very much his mother’s boy,’ a close Lewis friend claimed.
‘She was the one who really encouraged him to pursue acting and always took a much bigger (parenting) role in his life.
‘He has always been open about that with people close to him. He has been known to say that he was raised by his mother.’
Mitchell Lewis’ second son Luke (second right) celebrated his sixth birthday at a NBL game on Friday night. His pictured with his brothers and parents
Wally Lewis has denied reports he had an affair with his new girlfriend while still married to his wife of 36 years. Pictured: Wally and Jacqui Lewis in 2012
Lewis is now dating Lynda Adams, a volunteer at Sands Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Newborn Death Support Group in Townsville
The Lincoln family, including Wally and Jacqui (left), Trevor (bottom), Jamie-Lee (right), Mitchell and his wife (centre) and their three sons
Actor Lincoln. 33, a former Home and Away star and Logie winner thanked friends who had reached out following the shock announcement.
‘When you have a friend who checks on and wants nothing but the best for you without motives… keep them close, such souls are rare,’ Lincoln posted on Instagram last week.
‘Try to be like this as much as I can but wanna show some appreciation.. lucky to have such amazing people in my life.’
Lincoln shared several other Instagram stories while spending time with mates on the Gold Coast on Monday night as the shock news about his parents made headlines.
The youngest of Lewis clan Jamie-Lee, 30, was born profoundly deaf and has represented Australia in several sports, including touch football and water polo.
She also broke her silence by sharing the same Instagram story as her brother.
‘Would do the same for others. So incredibly lucky to have amazing people in my life. Thank you,’ Jamie-Lee captioned the story with a purple love heart emoji.
Lewis is now dating Ms Adams, a volunteer at Sands Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Newborn Death Support Group in Townsville.
Ms Adams had five miscarriages before giving birth to a daughter through IVF, who is now 15.
Wally and Jacqui Lewis (pictured together in happier times at the 2016 Dally M awards) separated quietly last year after 36 years of marriage
Rugby League legend Wally Lewis and his son actor Lincoln Lewis are said to be not on speaking terms over the split between Wally and Jacqui
She also recently split from her husband, property developer husband Mark Adams.
While Lewis has remained publicly tight-lipped about his marriage split, he has reportedly told friends he sees a long-term future with Lynda, Courier Mail reported.
His public statement called the split a ‘deeply personal matter that we do not want to discuss publicly’.
‘Wally and Jacqui Lewis separated last year after 36 years of marriage. It has been a difficult time for everyone in the family and they are still working through the details of the separation,’ a statement released by Channel Nine read earlier this week.
‘But I want to acknowledge the pain and upset my family has gone through since Jacqui and I separated last year. I hope over time we can rebuild our ties and move on with life.’
‘I will confirm I am now in another relationship and only ask for the media to respect our privacy.’
The Lewis clan in happier times, from left Lewis, Jamie-Lee, Wally, Jacqui and Mitchell
Jacqui had long been considered Lewis’ selfless ‘rock’ after he fell into depression after brain surgery in 2007.
She revealed she told Wally at the time: ”Why wouldn’t you tell me you were in so much pain?’
‘But he wanted to get over it himself. Depression is a very hard thing. Wally didn’t understand it.’
The circumstances were even more trying for Jacqui, whose own brother John had succumbed to the disease nine years earlier.
‘I knew he [Wally] was in a bad place but not in a hole like my brother,’ Jacqui continued.
‘He was just like a little puppy dog, a shadow, hanging around me all the time. He was so vulnerable and I thought he could never work again.’
League legend Wally Lewis (pictured above) found love with a new woman after 36 years of marriage
Jacqui confessed she thought Wally’s condition would make it necessary to sell their house and she would have to return to work, before he made a steady recovery and she realised, ‘I’ve got my husband back.’
In 2009, Jacqui took to the airwaves to deal with the fallout from the revelations about son Lincoln’s sex tape with a teenage starlet.
Phoning into the Ryan, Monty and Wippa Nova 969 drive show, Jacqui was asked how Wally had reacted to the news of son Lincoln’s indiscretion.
‘In the past Wally would have worried and got paranoid but now he’s so composed,’ she said.
‘Wally’s got to remember, as I’ve always told him, everything you do when you’re in the public eye belongs to the people.’