CODY SIMPSON’S SECRET HEARTACHE
DEVASTATING DIVORCE NEWS HAS TORN THE AUSSIE STAR’S FAMILY APART
When Cody Simpson called time on his headlinemaking romance with pop superstar Miley Cyrus late last year, no-one could have known the secret he was bravely hiding.
While the couple regularly posted loved-up photos online during their relationship, behind the scenes Cody, 24, was sick with worry over his family back on the Gold Coast, after they delivered some shock news – his parents’ 26-year marriage was also crumbling.
Now, New Idea can reveal Cody’s folks, Brad and Angie Simpson, have since called it quits following a tumultuous 12 months.
Insiders say the pair finalised their divorce last month, as Cody attempted to reignite his childhood Olympic swimming dream.
Interestingly, last month Cody failed to show up to one of his heats at the National Swimming Championships.
“There’s been a lot going on in Cody’s life that his fans didn’t know about,” a family friend shares exclusively. “I think Brad and Angie’s marriage problems had a lot to do with why it didn’t work out with Miley. Like any divorce, it has torn the family apart.”
Sadly, it is just the latest trauma for the Simpsons. The family also had to come to terms with a dark secret Brad kept for 35 years.
While chasing his own Olympic dreams, Brad was groomed and sexually abused by a private sports trainer from age 9 until his mid-teens. He became so consumed with guilt and shame that he kept it bottled up until just four years ago.
The secret also had a big impact on his marriage and family life, with Brad at one point going through a breakdown. He nearly took his own life before opening up to Angie and their kids, Cody, Alli, 23, and Tom, 17.
“I made it so tough for [Angie], and somehow she stuck around,” Brad said, admitting he worked to hide the trauma through drug and alcohol use
before entering an addiction treatment facility.
With the support of his wife and kids, the healing process began for Brad. But it appears it came too late to save his marriage to Angie, a self-proclaimed “momager” who briefly appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2015.
“It’s been a really tough time for Angie, and I know she’s found it hard to find her feet again back on the Gold Coast,” the family friend says. “She was and is incredibly supportive of Brad’s recovery.”
Following their move to Los Angeles in 2010, Brad and Angie returned to the Gold Coast three years ago to try and save their marriage. Cody stayed in the US and started dating Miley after she split from her then-husband, actor Liam Hemsworth.
Angie revealed in 2019 that Cody and Miley had secretly dated when they were both teenagers and that she was thrilled they found love again. But it wasn’t long before the pair ended the relationship in August last year, after only 10 months – when Brad and Angie were going through their relationship breakdown.
“Cody speaks to his mum all the time and the split has deeply affected him,” the friend says. “It’s part of the reason he came back …
He wanted to give swimming another crack, but he also wanted to be there to support his family.”