The truth about the night Grant snapped

Olympic gold medallist Grant Hackett is “deeply ashamed” after a fight with his wife Candice erupted in violence.

On the surface, Grant Hackett seems to have it all – a beautiful wife, gorgeous two-year-old twins, and a golden reputation that has earned him a host of corporate gigs and a commentary spot at next year’s Olympics. But the triple Olympic gold medallist’s future is in doubt after he “lost it” and overturned his wife Candice Alley’s beloved grand piano during an ugly screaming match at their Melbourne penthouse on Derby Day.

The alcohol-fuelled moment of madness is said to have left Candice frightened and traumatised. “We heard screaming and raised voices during a long argument from their apartment late on Saturday night,” confirms one neighbour, who did not wish to be named. “It sounded really drunken, and at first we were unsure where it was coming from – I couldn’t really believe it was the Hacketts, because they’re always so polite and nice to each other.”

The fight was so loud and frightening to neighbours that police were called, with eight police cars arriving at the swish city apartment block to investigate the incident and provide protection to Candice. “Grant was shouting non-stop, drowning out Candice,” says the neighbour. “I couldn’t hear the exact words, but some of our neighbours on several different floors heard the piano going down, and then there was silence after that – but before then, there was a lot of small stuff and furniture being thrown around.

“We heard glass smashing and the place was a complete shambles inside.” With a lucrative Olympic commentating role and a swag of corporate sponsorships at risk, a humiliated Grant apologised for his meltdown, saying he was “overwhelmingly embarrassed”. “The events of Saturday evening were very much unfortunate and out of character for me,” he told reporters.“I am overwhelmingly embarrassed and apologetic and look forward to putting this incident behind us.“Candice is 100 per cent OK, our apartment is 100 per cent OK, and so are our twins.” The fight erupted just hours after Grant, 31, and Candice, 29, attended Derby Day at Flemington, where Grant was host of the lavish new Westpac Sports + Entertainment marquee, mixing with celebrities such as Kate Ritchie, Ita Buttrose, Michael Slater, Andrew Johns, Sigrid Thornton, Alex Fevola, Patti Newton and Esther Anderson.