‘THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR BREAK-UP’
Ryan Channing on his split from Ian Thorpe
In January, things appeared to be going swimmingly for Olympic champion Ian Thorpe and his then-partner Ryan Channing. They were pictured smiling while on a breezy Caribbean holiday in St Barts. They were even planning a future together, with the high-profile couple confirming they were in the process of having a child together with the help of a surrogate in the US. Five months later, Channing shocked Australia when he confirmed he and Thorpe had parted ways after four years together.
Now the businessman and former model has spoken out in response to rumours that the reason for their split was Thorpe, 36, changing his mind about starting a family with Channing. “There has been talk Ian wasn’t ready for a family,” Channing tells WHO. “I can’t comment on his behalf, but that was never a discussion as to why we were separating. It was more around the busy lifestyles we lead now, and the fact it was hard to manage the relationship with the travel schedules we have.”
The 29-year-old insists he was planning to have a child before he met Thorpe. “Ian has known from the very beginning this was my plan and he came into that plan because we were together,” the skincare entrepreneur explains. “Having a child is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
And now Channing is pushing ahead with his goal of becoming a father – without Thorpe. “It’s going ahead without Ian,” he confirms, adding he’d “love to have a little boy”. He is currently “halfway through the fertility process” at the Southern California Reproductive Center in Beverly Hills. “I’m just about to choose my surrogate,” he says. “I’m really excited to bring a child into the world next year.”
The former couple sparked speculation that they had split in June, when it was discovered Channing had unfollowed Thorpe
on Instagram. When Channing shared a photo of himself with another man, a follower wanted to know whether he had broken up with the Australian swimming legend. At the time, Channing didn’t reply. But neither of them had shared a photo of the other since January. On June 29, there was finally confirmation the pair were officially over.
“We have just gone our separate ways,” Channing told The Daily Telegraph. “I have moved out.”
Speaking further about their break-up, Channing says his life had changed dramatically since he started going out with Thorpe in 2015. Back then, he was a paralegal and enjoyed travelling to exotic locations with the Olympian. “We obviously travelled a lot,” Channing says. “I would join Ian on trips and back here [in Australia], I would spend a lot of time with him. Now I’m just too busy. That focus on our relationship wasn’t there with both of us working and travelling so much. We were never really in the same place at the same time and it was hard to catch up.”
Channing is now determined to move forward with his life, adding their split was amicable. “People and relationships come to an end all the time, it’s just that ours is a bit of a high-profile one,” he says, adding that he and
Thorpe remain friends. “I just wish the best for Ian for the future. He’s got his own life and I’ve got my own life now.” He would not reveal the last time he and Thorpe spoke.
With his skincare brands BLAQ and Generation Clay flourishing – collectively they have turned over $9 million in the last financial year and ship to 50 countries – Channing will be spending more time overseas. He also has a 30th birthday to celebrate in August, on Mykonos in the Greek Islands. At some point, he will step back from work and, if everything goes to plan, enjoy fatherhood.
“I think I’ll be a very hands-on dad,” he says. “We’ll be down at Bondi, and I’ll be doing the school runs. It’s very exciting and I can’t wait for that.”
And love? “It hasn’t even played on my mind yet,” he admits. “I’ve been too busy for another relationship. But you never know who might come into your life.”
“I’ve always wanted to have a child” —Channing