TV reporter Grace Fitzgibbon has confessed she is going through the ‘toughest experience’ of her life after dumping Fox Sports presenter Jake Duke following a late-night phone call from a female colleague.
Fitzgibbon, 31, ended her three-year relationship with Duke, 30, at the weekend after he received an unexpected phone call from Kiwi rugby league reporter Tiffany Salmond in the ‘wee hours’ of Saturday morning.
Salmond, 26, has since told friends she was unaware Duke had a girlfriend when she called him, claiming that Fitzgibbon rarely featured on the Fox rising star’s personal Instagram page.
Fitzgibbon looked visibly shattered when approached by Daily Mail outside Channel Seven’s Sydney headquarters on Thursday morning.
‘This has been one of the toughest experiences of my life,’ she said.
Grace Fitzgibbon addressed her split with Fox Sports presenter Jake Duke outside Channel Seven HQ in Sydney on Wednesday
The Fox Sports ‘Golden Boy’ and Fitzgibbon’s relationship imploded after he received a late night phone call from a New Zealand-based colleague, Tiffany Salmond, on Saturday
‘Please respect my privacy.’
Fitzgibbon returned to work on Thursday after being left ‘devastated and heartbroken’ over the call.
The news presenter and part-time wedding celebrant looked chic as she walked from a local coffee shop to the network’s offices, dressed in a white mid length pencil dress and black pumps.
It’s understood she vacated the couples Freshwater unit on Sydney’s northern beaches on Monday – briefly posting an image of heaped cardboard boxes that became the talk of TV circles.
Duke is understood to have stayed with his close friend, fellow TV presenter Danika Mason, before flying to Fiji on Wednesday to cover Newcastle knights test against Melbourne storm.
Duke travels to New Zealand regularly for his TV presenting commitments.
The news presenter and part-time wedding celebrant looked chic, dressed in a white mid length pencil dress and black pumps
‘This has been one of the toughest experiences of my life,’ the visibly shattered news anchor said
Ms Salmond caught the attention of Fox Sports ‘golden boy’ Jake Duke
Salmond, who likes to post scantily clad bikini shots on social media, has told friends she didn’t know Duke had a girlfriend
Earlier this week new photos surfaced of Salmond and Duke working together for Fox Sports last September while covering an NRL game in Auckland, where Salmond lives.
Salmond last week visited Sydney, sharing images of her trip, including pictures of herself at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and dining at Woolloomooloo Wharf.
‘I have a background in journalism, reporting and producing with a passion for sports broadcasting and rugby league,’ her LinkedIn profile states.
In an apparent attempt at damage control, Salmond is understood to have deleted an Instagram post of herself in a bikini with a cryptic caption referencing infidelity this week.
EXCLUSIVEREAD MORE: What Tiffany Salmond is saying about couple’s split
This cryptic Instagram post was removed from Tiffany Salmond’s Instagram account on Tuesday after Daily Mail contacted her for comment