Mick Fanning has sadly confirmed rumours that his marriage with fashion entrepeneur wife Karissa Dalton has come to an end. The pair were married for just under eight years.
The Australian surfing legend and ELLE cover boy took to Facebook overnight to release the statement, revealing that he and Karissa had made the “tough mutual decision to move on separately” late last year, after an initial separation in February 2014.
34-year-old Mick explained that the couple originally refuted media reports of a separation as they were “committed to working things out”, however, they are now ready to stop the rumour mill. “We want to eliminate any speculation about this decision,” he wrote on Facebook.
Photo: Facebook
Mick also took the opportunity to praise Karissa for her support throughout their relationship, in particular the last 12 months, which included the death of his eldest brother, Peter Fanning, who died aged 43 from an enlarged heart. Mick found out about the news just hours before he paddled out to surf a fourth world title in the Pipe Masters.
“I have nothing but love and respect for this woman,” he wrote. “Karissa has stood by me since we first met in 2004. We have shared plenty of great times but more importantly she has helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life, especially this past year.”
Karissa is a former model and the founder of The LANE, an online brand directory and style guide for the wedding and event industry. She met Mick in 2004, and in 2006 and 2008 the pair were engaged and married respectively.
[Via Facebook]
