Kellie Gardner and Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson get married as she undergoes chemotherapy
Brave bride of footy star gets married in intimate ceremony as she undergoes chemotherapy for stage four cancer
- Kellie Gardner married Port Adelaide star Jeremy Finlayson
- She suffers from stage four cancer
Even stage four cancer treatment couldn’t get in the way of Kellie Gardner’s dream wedding to her footy star groom.
The brave bride tied the knot with Jeremy Finlayson, both 27, of Port Adelaide, in an intimate ceremony on South Australia’s Tennyson Beach on Sunday afternoon in front of 21 close friends and family.
The imposing 1.97 m ruckman towered over his beautiful bride, whose cancer had already postponed their wedding since last October.
She was first diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 25 – three and a half months after her daughter Sophia was born.
Kellie received chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for a year and her doctors thought the cancer would be gone for good.
But in January came the terrible news that it had metastasized and spread to her lungs.
Port Adelaide star Jeremy Finlayson (left) married Kellie (right) on South Australia’s Tennyson Beach on Sunday afternoon
Kellie (second from left) is pictured with her bridesmaids on Sunday afternoon
Kellie (right) shows off her rings. She married Jeremy Finlayson (left) on Sunday at Tennyson Beach, South Australia
“I wanted to get married with my hair and I started losing it,” Kellie shared The advertiser.
She wanted the wedding to be a quiet, private affair and “a surprise to everyone except our bridal party and the family and friends present.”
The whole thing took just three weeks to plan, with amazing help from the bridal party and Kellie’s modeling agency, The Models.
The ceremony was kept so secret that Sophia, now 19 months old, didn’t even know what was happening.
“Sophia has no idea, she just knows her favorite people will be in Adelaide this weekend,” Kellie said.
Kellie is depicted in a hospital bed while being treated for colon cancer
Jeremy Finlayson (center) is pictured with Max Nicholas and Zaccy Williams at his wedding reception on Sunday afternoon
Kellie (right) is pictured with her husband, AFL star Jeremy Finlayson, and their daughter Sophia
Though it rained in the morning, the sun came out in time for Kellie to walk down the aisle in a Made With Love Bridal gown.
The happy couple wrote their wedding vows separately as they wished surprising each other with what they would say.
After them tied the knot and posed for glowing photos showing off their rings.
The lovestruck couple plan to throw a bigger celebration in October when the AFL season ends, with Kellie promising to beat her diagnosis and be there for her husband and their daughter.
The couple is also committed to raising awareness among young people about the danger of colon cancer, as it is often seen as something older people get.
Port Adelaide star Jeremy Finlayson (right) is pictured with his wife Kellie and their daughter Sophia
Kellie (left) is pictured with husband Jeremy Finlayson. They got married on Sunday
The federal health department is sending bowel cancer test kits to all Australians over 50, but the Finlaysons have urged younger people to have a colonoscopy if they think there is something wrong with their digestive system.
She is proud to hear that people are using her story to convince their GP to offer them a colonoscopy.
The model said she regretted not having her digestive issues checked sooner.
“If I had all my tummy problems checked and not just thought I had a lactose intolerance,” she said said.