‘I’ve been through hell’
Toilet tryst woman speaks
The woman involved in the toilet tryst with Aaron Smith says a formal warning by New Zealand Rugby is lenient and Smith still needs to “take responsibility”.
Bridget, who asked not to have her surname used, told the Herald on Sunday she was irate the halfback denied the pair had sex in the disability toilet at Christchurch airport last year.
But she insists she did not want to cause problems.
“I never wanted him to get into trouble, I just wanted him to tell the truth.”
NZ Rugby yesterday said Smith had been given a formal warning for lying about the incident.
It came after an independent investigation was launched in August following the release of messages between Smith and Bridget that contradicted his account of affairs during the original disciplinary hearing.
“Being honest, particularly in a disciplinary proceeding, is critically important for any employer and that is certainly the case with New Zealand Rugby,” NZR chief executive Steve Tew said.
“To reinforce this point, we have issued Aaron Smith with a formal written warning.”
Bridget told the Herald on Sunday she felt she was left with no choice but to release the text messages to vindicate herself.
“It’s unfortunate they had to be exposed in that way [in Australian media] but I needed people to believe me,” said the 29-year-old lawyer.
Bridget said she began seeing Smith for “casual hook-ups” every few months. She was on her way back to Dunedin when Smith texted her at Christchurch airport.
“To be honest, I still had feelings for him at that stage. When you really like someone you do things to make them happy — I guess you let your guard down a bit.”
Smith, 28, is currently on tour with the All Blacks in the UK although he was not named in the squad to play the Barbarians at Twickenham.
Tew said NZR considered the matter now closed and would not be making any further comment. Bridget said she also wanted to move on. She was rebuilding her life with a new partner who was “absolutely supportive”.
She had also explained the “whole story” to her mother. “Mum was disappointed it happened in a bathroom, she felt it wasn’t classy. I went through hell last year with all the lies . . . which had horrendous consequences for me. I am happy this is out in the open now — I’d rather be hated for telling the truth.”