Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, 62, and fiancée, Jodie Haydon, 46, had quite the ‘meet-cute’, with their shared love for the Rabbitohs drawing the couple together.
Meeting in 2020, Anthony was recovering from a divorce, and now, five years on, the couple are engaged.
WHO IS JODIE HAYDON?
Jodie was born in Bankstown in Western Sydney and grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales to school teacher parents.
Jodie is an Australian financial services professional and women’s advocate, who grew up on the beach.
She began her career in the superannuation industry where she worked for 20 years before moving into the NSW Public Service Association as a women’s officer.
HOW DID ANTHONY ALBANESE MEET HIS FUTURE WIFE?
The pair have been together since 2020, after meeting at an event in Melbourne where Anthony had been speaking.
He’d asked whether there were any South Sydney rugby league supporters in the audience and Jodie yelled out, “Up the Rabbitohs”, which also happened to be his favourite team.
He later introduced himself and learned that they not only had a football team in common, but that Jodie lived in his electorate, just a few suburbs over.
Anthony and Jodie spoke with The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2022, saying, “We had what I thought would just be a drink at Young Henrys in Newtown, and we got on really well. That’s how it started,” he said.
Neither of them were looking for a relationship at the time, and Jodie explained, “I’d reached a point in my life where I was enjoying being single.”
Anthony was still emotionally bruised by the sudden departure a year earlier of his partner of 30 years (wife for 19), former NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt. It was as amicable as it could be and no third parties were involved, but for Anthony it was heartbreaking.
Then, out of nowhere, came Jodie, and the ease and joy that sprung up between them that night told Anthony that this was a life-changing connection.
HOW DID ANTHONY PROPOSE?
Anthony got down on one knee to propose to Jodie Haydon on 14 February 2024.
Quite the romantic, the pair celebrated Valentine’s Day at Canberra restaurant Italian and Sons before returning to The Lodge where the Prime Minister popped the question.
It has been confirmed that their wedding plans have been pushed back due to the Federal Election in May 2025.
“[The wedding] will … likely be the second half of next year, but it will be after the election because I want to focus on the job at hand,” the Prime Minister told ABC Radio in Perth.
“We looked at the diary and there are no gaps between now and the end of the year.”
In 2025, the couple revealed that their wedding “will be small, intimate.”
“Possibly outdoors, in the second half of this year, with our family and loved ones … And you can be sure Toto will make an appearance,” Jodie told The Australian Women’s Weekly.
THEIR ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Taking to social media on 15 February 2024, Anthony announced the news on X (formerly Twitter) with a photo of the happy couple.
“She said yes ♥️,” he captioned the selfie of the lovebirds, with Jodie’s sparkly new ring on display as she had her hand on Anthony’s chest.
Anthony is the first Australian Prime Minister to get engaged while in office.
WHERE DO ANTHONY ALBANESE AND JODIE HAYDON LIVE?
The couple currently reside at The Lodge which is the official residence of the Prime Minister in Australia. However, Anthony recently settled on his $4.3 million mansion on NSW’s Central Coast, near Jodie’s family.
The pair are listed as joint owners of the property in beach town Copacabana, which holds four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
2GB’s Ben Fordham spoke to Anthony and was told the main incentive for purchasing the house was because he was, “about to get married to Jodie and start a new chapter of our lives,”
“Jodie’s a ‘coastie’ and spending time with her up there is awesome. It will be nice to be closer to her parents and her family one day.”
We look forward to seeing how the happy couple settle in their beach home!
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