Just six weeks after the devastating loss of his brother, pro surfer Mick Fanning has suffered another heartbreaking blow with the demise of his marriage.
The 34-year-old announced the sad news via his Facebook page on Sunday evening.
“I have nothing but love and respect for this woman. Karissa has stood by me since we first met in 2004. We have shared plenty of great times but more importantly she has helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life, especially this past year,” the post began.
“There has been some speculation about our marriage coming to an end over the past six months. We refuted those claims because we were both committed to working things out since we separated last February. After giving it our all though, late last year we made the tough mutual decision to move on separately.”
“It feels weird to put our personal life out there like this but we want to eliminate any speculation about this decision. We’re still close and there’s a lot of love there.”
“This is the only statement we’ll be making about our relationship and we appreciate everyone respecting our privacy concerning this matter. Thanks so much,” Mick concluded.
The heartfelt post was accompanied with a gorgeous shot of the pair in happier times.
The duo met through mutual friends and tied the knot back in 2008.
It’s been a turbulent few months for Mick, following the horrifying run-in with a shark during a surfing comp and the death of his brother a few months later.
Speaking of their first date, Mick explained to Sunday Style in 2014: “I invited her round for dinner the following night and cooked a roast – and she never left.”
“I love it when Karissa comes to a tour event, but I understand it can be a bit boring just waiting around. She’s very driven and runs her own business.”
Mick and Karissa in happier times.
While Karissa added: “It was nice to go to Mick’s home; he has an amazing circle of friends and we just hung out.”
“When he told me he was away for up to nine months of the year, I thought, ‘How is this going to work?’ It’s definitely had its challenges, but we’ve worked through them.”
Alarm bells began to ring last year when Mick failed to mention his wife during his tell-all interview on 60 Minutes following his shark attack at the J Bay Open.
