Paralyzed NRL star Alex McKinnon reveals all about his relationship with ex-wife Teigan Power after their shock split after 12 years together
Former Newcastle Knights star Alex McKinnon has revealed he is still ‘very close’ to his ex-wife and has vowed to be the best possible role model for his three children.
McKinnon and Teigan Power separated in January 2022 after five years of marriage and three children together, but their divorce was not made public until three months later.
Upon separating, both parties confirmed that the split was amicable and they remained committed to co-parenting their children, twins Audrey and Violet, and eldest daughter Harriet.
A year after their divorce, McKinnon said he and Power were still linked by a strong close friendship.
“We’re still very close,” he said News Corp.
Former NRL star Alex McKinnon and wife Teigan Power split in January last year after five years of marriage, but the split was not made public until three months later
The couple have three children: Harriet, age four, and twins Audrey and Violet, age two
“Being a parent is such an important job and having a strong bond with their mother is just as important.
“We are still good friends, we both realize that we are role models for the kids and we need to show them that supporting each other is the only way.”
McKinnon proposed to his high school sweetheart from his hospital bed just days after his promising NRL career was cut short in March 2014 when he suffered a devastating spinal cord injury at just 22 years old.
He suffered fractures to his C4 and C5 vertebrae after a dangerous tackle just before half time of a Round 3 clash against the Melbourne Storm and was paralyzed.
McKinnon and Power tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in the NSW Hunter Valley in October 2017. The former Knights star promised his bride he would get out of his wheelchair if he popped the question, and he did just that on their wedding.
The couple welcomed Harriet to the world a day before their first wedding anniversary the following year and were soon followed by Audrey Jill and Violet John, who turn two this week.
And McKinnon said that while being a parent was difficult in his circumstances, his daughters made his job much easier.
“Parenting while still able-bodied is hard, we all have to adapt,” he said.
But the girls are great. Even at their age they are so caring, very aware and very accepting.’
Now in his second year of his psychology degree, McKinnon wants to counsel those who have suffered similar injuries or their families.
In January, he revealed how a blunt phone call from supercoach Wayne Bennett lifted him out of a depressed and withdrawn state.
McKinnon is now in his second year of his psychology degree and counsels those who have suffered injuries similar to his
McKinnon was paralyzed after sustaining a spinal cord injury in a Round 3 match against the Melbourne Storm in 2014
“He asked me what I was up to,” McKinnon recalled in a revealing interview with former NRL player Denan Kemp on his Bloke In a Bar podcast.
“I put it back on Wayne, I asked how he was (with the Broncos), I turned away.
“Then he said to me, start fucking doing something (with your life). What happened (injury) is devastating, but it’s time to move on.
“Find some actions in your life.”
