Heartache for Coast power couple as romance ends
ONE of the Gold Coast’s most touching love stories has come to an end.
Inspirational quadriplegic Perry Cross and legendary marathon swimmer Susie Maroney have reportedly separated less than a year after marrying and only five months after telling the Bulletin of their desire to have a child.
“Perry’s a wonderful inspiration as everyone knows and a beautiful man, but I really don’t want to say anything more at this stage,” Maroney said
Cross, who was paralysed in 1994 while playing rugby union as a 19-year-old, met his wife in 2014 when she was a guest at a Sydney fundraiser for his Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation.
A romance blossomed soon after, with Maroney touched by how quickly Cross was embraced by her three young children.
“My children couldn’t have a better role model,” she told the Bulletin.
The pair also spoke of their plan to try for an IVF baby and how they had continued to commute between Sydney and the Gold Coast since their wedding last November.
“We’ll eventually make our way up here … but we just want to make sure the kids are settled before we make the move,” Maroney said.
The 42-year-old, who was the first person to swim 180km from Cuba to the US, has previously been married twice and has reportedly been caring for her sick mother in recent months.
Cross did not reply to an inquiry from the Bulletin.