For former Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry it’s clear her family comes first.
But, when the 58-year-old embarked on a journey to discover her family roots on SBS series Who Do You Think You Are? she was “embarrassed” by how little she knew.
“I knew bits and pieces about my ancestors, but not a lot,” Lisa tells Now To Love, “It was an amazing experience, it’s nice to know where you’ve come from.”
Lisa with her kids and grandson.
(Image: Instagram)Lisa admits learning about her father’s upbringing was an eye-opening experience.
After her father, Roy, remarried, their relationship became distant and he was noticeably absent for much of her 23-year career.
“You think you know your parents until you actually hear their story.
“Sadly I didn’t know a lot about it and that’s why the show for me was so exciting.”
The 15-time gold medallist says that while at the time of her Olympic success her father’s absence didn’t weigh much on her mind, hindsight tells a different story.
“My dad didn’t see a lot of my career firsthand, to me at the time it didn’t really bother me too much.
But, when you look back at it, you think, ‘Oh gee, it would have been nice for him to share in those successes.”
It’s had a huge impact on the way Lisa and her ex-husband Grant chose to parent their three kids, Jett, Jaimi Lee and Morgan.
“I think because of that though, Grant and I as parents, we always said we will always be there for all our kids, for everything that they do.
“Every success, every failure, every try, everything it didn’t matter. Just being there and being proud is really important as parents.”
Lisa has found love again with husband, Mark.
(Image: Instagram)That mentality also translates for the hands-on grandmother, who recently announced she is expecting another grandchild by daughter Morgan.
‘YES!! I’m going to be a Granny again,’ Lisa announced via Instagram.
Until then Lisa says she’s still babysitting her first grandchild Flynn and making the most of lockdown with her husband Mark Tabone.
“Isolation is nothing new to us, we have 60 acres where we are.”
And, she couldn’t be happier.
“We’re very good together. If one of us leaves for half an hour, we’re like, no, no, I’m coming too,” she laughs.
