Personal Life
The youngest of eight children, Ablett grew up alongside four elder brothers and three elder sisters.
In 1985, Ablett wed his long-time girlfriend Sue, and the couple had four children – Natasha, Gary, Jr., Nathan, and Alisha.
In 1986, Ablett became a born-again Christian and has been said to be slightly aggrieved at constantly being referred to as "God" by fans, a nickname based on his supreme football abilities. Ablett's faith was often highlighted in several tribunal appearances, in one case confessing and pleading guilty to striking Garry Lyon in an 1989 incident, declaring he "wasn't prepared to lie about it or compromise the truth in relationship with God". Ablett's public acknowledgement of his faith, in particular the influence of God in his life, during his acceptance speech for the Norm Smith Medal in the 1989 Grand Final was also much publicised.
In December 2007 Ablett hit back at media claims that his son Nathan had walked away from his football career because of the publicity surrounding the release of a new book about his father. Although normally reluctant to make public comments, Ablett felt that the media intrusion into his family life had gone too far.
As part of a series of books, "Legends of Australian Sport," Ablett contributed to a book regarding himself. It was the first time he revealed intimate details regarding his life publicly.
Read more about this topic: Gary Ablett, Sr.
Famous quotes related to personal life:
“A man lives not only his personal life, as an individual, but also, consciously or unconsciously, the life of his epoch and his contemporaries.”
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955)
“He hadn’t known me fifteen minutes, and yet he was ... ready to talk ... I was still to learn that Munshin, like many people from the capital, could talk openly about his personal life while remaining a dream of espionage in his business operations.”
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