Who is Alex McKinnon’s ‘mystery woman’? Glam social worker Lily Malone, 22, is pictured on the arm of ex-NRL player – two years after his marriage to Teigan Power ended

The mystery woman on the arm of paralyzed former NRL player Alex McKinnon could be revealed as a glamorous young social worker ten years his junior.

Former Newcastle Knights player McKinnon, 32, and fellow Newcastle University student Lily Malone, 22, both shared an image with their arms around each other on their Instagram pages on Sunday.

McKinnon posted the photo of them both dressed in pink at Malone’s 22nd birthday party just hours before the NRL season opener kicked off in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Moments later, Malone debuted McKinnon on her own Instagram page, sharing the same photo with a love heart emoji.

Malone’s mother Monique did not deny the pair were an item when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Monday.

The 22-year-old brunette bombshell is studying social work at Newcastle University, where McKinnon is studying psychology

“I’m not going to comment on their relationship, that’s for them to comment on,” Ms. Malone said.

Lily Malone is studying for a bachelor’s degree in social work at Newcastle University. McKinnon studies psychology there and works as an analyst for Fox Sports.

Malone – who works as a family liaison officer at Life Without Barriers – recently revealed she will soon become a qualified social worker.

“Working with a small, dedicated team, I have developed an eight-session program tailored to the unique needs of “parents of young offenders within a domestic violence context,” she recently posted on her LinkedIn page.

McKinnon’s romance comes after he split from ex-wife Teigan Power in January 2022 after five years of marriage, three children and his own horrific on-field foot accident that left him paralyzed.

When they split, both parties confirmed that the split was amicable and that they remained committed to co-parenting their children, twins Audrey and Violet, and eldest daughter Harriet.

Power announced her new love Jake Nelson at the end of last year.

Lily recently celebrated McKinnon’s 22nd birthday with a ‘pink’ theme

McKinnon was left paralyzed after suffering a spinal cord injury in a Round 3 match against the Melbourne Storm in 2014

The former couple had three children: Harriet, four, and twins Audrey and Violet, two

Last year, McKinnon said he and Power were still connected by a strong, close friendship.

“We are still very close,” he told News Corp.

‘Being a parent is such an important job and having a strong relationship with their mother is just as important.

‘We are still good friends, we both realize that we are role models for the children and we have to show them that supporting each other is the only way to be that.’

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 in a horrific on-field accident. He was only 22.

He suffered fractures to his C4 and C5 vertebrae after a dangerous tackle just before half-time of a Round 3 match against the Melbourne Storm. McKinnon proposed to Power just a fortnight after breaking his spine.

McKinnon and Power married in October 2017 in an intimate ceremony in the NSW Hunter Valley.

The former Knights star promised his bride that he would get up from his wheelchair when he popped the question, and he did just that at their wedding.

The couple was together for 12 years and married for five years before their relationship quietly ended.

McKinnon’s father Scott told Daily Mail Australia at the time that McKinnon “did well, but it’s really sad – what can you do?”

“I know he’s a good boy, but Alex is a private guy.

“It’s just very, very sad.”