Australian Olympic legend Leisel Jones has split from husband Damon Martin after five years of marriage

Olympic gold-winning swimmer Leisel Jones has announced the “incredibly sad” news that she has split from her husband of five years, Damon Martin.

Speaking on her Triple M radio show on Wednesday morning, Jones told listeners that the couple called it quits after “realizing we’re better off going our separate ways.”

She and Martin married in August 2018 at the luxurious Peppers resort in the NSW town of Bowral, with the ceremony less than a year after they got engaged.

‘We broke up. It’s incredibly sad news,” Jones said.

The Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer (pictured with Martin) said she is now ‘out in the wilderness by herself’

‘I have the deepest resection for Damo. It is a very sad situation for both of us and a very difficult decision to make.

‘I think it takes a lot of courage for two adults to decide what isn’t right for them at any given time and to realize that you are better off if you separate.

“So it’s a very sad announcement and I’m alone in the wilderness.

‘I’m actually fine. We had done a lot of work in advance and put a lot of energy into it.’

Jones then revealed a detail about their relationship that reveals she already misses his company, despite the pair agreeing on the split.

“I can’t cook my chops as well as Damo used to, and I miss that,” she said.

In 2016, Jones told Daily Mail Australia that she was first attracted to Martin’s sense of fun and intelligence: “He’s super smart, which is really important to me.”

The couple married in 2018 at the luxurious Peppers resort in the NSW town of Bowral, with Leisel stunning in a chic, sleeveless high-neck dress with textured pleated fabric from the waist down.

‘I’m aware that I’m 38, single now, have no children and I may have missed that window, so that’s a bit scary.

‘It’s really a big adjustment to do things alone. Damo is such a great guy, a great guy. We are both extremely heartbroken.”

The couple got engaged when Martin popped the question during a trip to the US in 2018.

“WE ARE COMMITTED,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

‘Damo asked the question when we were in the United States. I can’t wait to annoy you for the rest of our forever lives,” she captioned the post with the hashtags #wedding, #proposal #love and #engagementring.

“I think it takes a lot of courage for two adults to decide what’s not right for them,” Jones told listeners of her radio show when she made the sad announcement on Wednesday.

The message was met with an outpouring of well wishes from friends and fans, with fellow swimmer and TV star Johanna Griggs chiming in with: ‘Huge congratulations Leisel! Wonderful news’.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in 2016, Jones said she was lucky to have met Damon, with the pair being introduced through mutual friends.

‘It’s hard to meet people in Sydney and it’s hard to find friends and be casual and relaxed. “We’re pretty lucky,” she said.

Leisel added that she was attracted to Damon’s intelligence and sense of fun.

“He’s super fun and really smart,” she said. ‘He is super smart and that is very important to me. He has a great brain.”

On their wedding day, Jones looked flawless in a chic, sleeveless high-neck dress with textured pleated fabric from the waist down.

Earlier in the day, Leisel shared a photo of herself holding a bottle of tequila, writing in the caption, “Some brides post their nail polish with a glass of champagne or tea. Not this bride. She only drinks tequila.”

The retired sports star also revealed on Instagram Stories that she brought her own fluffy white robe and Ugg boots to the ceremony.

Looking fresh-faced, Leisel told her followers: “So it’s all about that comfort when you get married, so I brought my own robe… because it’s white, but I also have my ugg boots, because a bride has to do that. stay warm on her wedding day’.