Cathy Freeman’s wide grin outshines even the sparkle of the rings on her fingers. There’s a large diamond glinting on her left hand, and a sea-green emerald on the right — both of them gifts from her fiancé, James Murch.
It’s months since the Melbourne equities dealer popped the question, but 34-year-old Cathy is still glowing. “I’m very happy and very much in love,” she confides, but her joy is obvious before she even says a word.
The shy athlete who won Australia’s heart with a blistering win in the 400 metres at the Sydney Olympics — and then struggled with retirement — has become a self-assured woman of many interests.
Her children’s book, Born To Run (Puffin, $17.95), has just been released, and she’s launching the Catherine Freeman Foundation to “work together with individuals and communities to enable all those involved to fulfil their potential through greater opportunity”.
She’s also filming a second series of Going Bush for SBS-TV, which has given her a “mind-blowing” insight into her Aboriginal heritage.
Don’t miss this week’s issue of Woman’s Day (on sale March 19) — Cathy tells us all about James’ romantic proposal and her feelings about motherhood.
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