Chrissie Swan was an unknown copywriter before she rose to fame on Big Brother in 2003 as runner-up to Reggie Bird.
By that time the beloved TV and radio personality had already built a beautiful life with then-partner and father of her three children, carpenter Chris Saville.
Chrissie and Chris never married, and in 2021 it was reported that they had quietly ended their relationship but continued to live together and co-parent.
In an exclusive interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, Chrissie addressed the rumours but kept the details private, something she values for her family.
Chrissie Swan was an unknown copywriter before she rose to fame on Big Brother in 2003.
(Image: Instagram)
“It’s not my story to tell … but we are very good friends. We like each other very much. We still live together. We talk all the time. So it’s not really that different,” she said.
“People are like, ‘Oh, I thought you were going to be together forever.’ And we are, absolutely. We are both so family-oriented and we are 100 per cent committed to those kids.
“There is nothing we like more than parenting. So it’s working beautifully. In fact, we still haven’t had a fight in 15 years! We are a really great unit, the five of us together, so it’s a great set-up and a good scenario for all of us.”
In the same interview, Chrissie revealed that parenting her three kids is her biggest focus at the moment and that they inherited and unlikely trait from her and Chris.
“My kids have inherited my inability to lie. Chris is a terrible liar too, so they’re purebreds,” she told the magazine.
Chrissie echoed her own statements in an exclusive interview with TV WEEK in February 2022, saying: “I’ve always been able to tell when they’re trying to lie, so we have a very honest policy at home, because there’s just no point. We’re terrible.”
But the 48-year-old likes to play things close to the chest when it comes to her kids, saying that their lives aren’t hers to share with the world.
In fact, her family’s privacy is something she has valued for years now, ever since she rose to fame back in 2003 and shot into the spotlight.
“I met someone, had three kids, went from completely unknown copywriter living in a flat in Hawthorn to covers of magazines and five jobs at a time, plus all the kids in there,” she told the Daily Telegraph in 2020.
It’s rare for breakthrough celebrities plucked from normal lives to maintain the structure of their relationships as they rocket to fame, and it wasn’t always easy for Chrissie, Chris and their three children; Kit, Peggy, and Leo.
WATCH: Chrissie Swan talks family on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Story continues after video.
During her time on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2015, Chrissie learned that she needed to start saying “no” more often and spend more time at home.
“I never stopped working. I never had more than five weeks’ maternity leave,” she admitted to the Daily Telegraph.
“Those years had been complete chaos. I don’t know how I did it.”
She confessed that going on the show was “really hard but also life-changing”, adding that she finally “untangled” what she wanted out of life.
“I do one job. And I parent. And that is actually enough. My kids were little then, they’re all at school now, so that changes things again, but I was so busy. What for?”
In honour of Chrissie’s incredible bond with her children and Chris, we’re looking back on some of their best family moments.
Chrissie Swan
Though Chrissie and Chris are believed to have ended their romantic relationship, the pair still live together and do everything they can to give their kids the best lives possible.
Chrissie Swan
Chrissie with Chris and Leo when they visited her during I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Chrissie Swan
Despite some pressure from son Leo, Chrissie and Chris never married.
Chrissie Swan
During a family holiday in Bali, Chrissie posted this snuggly picture with one of her children.
“Remember snuggling up after a swim?” she wrote.
Chrissie Swan
The radio host captioned this fun-filled image, “Saturday morning bounces for my middle pin’s 6th birthday. How good is @bounceinc ? And why do my kids never want to leave that place and yet never go on the trampoline we have at home 🤔
“Kit had the best birthday party ever and I even kept my sanity! Winning all round 👍🏼 #bounceinc”
Chrissie Swan
Chrissie’s son may be onto something with this invention.
“OK so my fella is actually a genius. Watermelon gingerbread men! ❤️,” she wrote.
Chrissie Swan
Apparently, a two-year-old and five minutes with a “Fantastic Mr Fox Sticker Book” are the culprits behind this picture.
Chrissie Swan
“In Melbourne, 22 degrees is pool weather. ⛅️ 🌞 ☀️ 🏊,” wrote Chrissie, and who can’t relate to that.
Chrissie Swan
The presenter hilariously admitted the story behind this picture, and those with phobias of dentists will totally understand her pain.
“Just 2 girls waiting to go see the dentist… I have a terrible phobia and had to be cool like Fonzie for the sake of my baby girl but I was terrified. Turns out we both have great teeth and had nothing to worry about… I won’t leave it 5 years next time 😳.”
Chrissie Swan
For Leo’s 9th birthday, the mum-of-three baked this mouthwatering chocolate cake.
Chrissie Swan
“You don’t need to tell a kid that Cheezels go on their fingers. They just know,” wrote Chrissie.
Chrissie Swan
For Christmas, Chrissie’s daughter wanted Santa to bring her “some party plates” and the contents of his “money box under the tree.”
Chrissie Swan
Oh, and shout out to the Swan-Saville family’s grumpy cat.
Chrissie shared a sweet snap to her Instagram in June 2022, posing with her doting dad.
”Well isn’t this a nice perk I get to enjoy because the Logies are on the GC now! Dinner with The Major (aka Dad) xxx,” Chrissie wrote.
High tea? Yes please!
To celebrate her mums 80th birthday, Chrissie and the extended family nipped of to the Crown Melbourne for some very fancy, very delicious high tea.
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