Australian Olympic swimmer Michael Klim has issued a resigned response after his ex-wife Lindy Klim publicly revived long-forgotten rumours of his alleged infidelity during their marriage.
Lindy Klim, 47, spoke candidly about the breakdown of their ten-year marriage during an appearance earlier this month on the Parenthood Podcast, hosted by relationship expert Leonie Akhidenor.
When approached by the Daily Mail this week regarding his former wife's comments, Michael Klim declined to discuss the details of her allegations and expressed reluctance to address their past private life.
"I don't really want to comment on her podcast and social media activity. I'm okay, thank you. I don't want to comment about this," Michael said. He added: "This is something she chose to talk about. I'm not commenting on anything in our private lives that happened."
The swimmer concluded his comments bluntly, stating: "I don't even want to tell you how I feel."
Infidelity allegations on Parenthood Podcast
Speaking to Akhidenor on the podcast, Lindy described how her world collapsed when she discovered alleged unfaithfulness during her marriage to the Olympic athlete.
"The first [relationship] kind of happened really quickly in the sense that there was some kind of infidelity that happened, so my whole world came crashing down," Lindy said. She recalled that the discovery forced her to end the living arrangement: "That was a big moment for me because I was like, 'Okay, well, I can't stay anymore. I have to leave.' That was a really difficult decision... It was just awful."
Lindy detailed the severe emotional impact the separation had on her mental health. "That was very traumatic and I was very sad. It all happened very quickly. It was a horrible, horrible time... I was properly depressed, to be honest," she said.
Marriage breakdown and initial reports
The former couple announced their separation in February 2016 after spending about a year trying to save their relationship and work through their marital struggles.
Allegations that Michael had been unfaithful prior to the split were extensively reported by Australian celebrity magazine New Idea at the time. The claims were subsequently picked up by other news outlets, including The West Australian newspaper.
In the decade following the separation, the allegations had largely faded from public attention. The former spouses appeared to maintain an amicable co-parenting relationship while raising their three children: Stella, now 20, Rocco, now 18, and Frankie, now 15.
Health struggles and former closeness
The ex-spouses appeared to have grown closer in recent years following personal challenges, including the collapse of Lindy's second marriage and Michael's major medical diagnosis.
Michael was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or CIDP, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that affects the peripheral nerves. Despite their past split, the former couple famously reunited for a cosy family Christmas celebration almost two years ago in December 2024.
Lindy's second marriage was to property developer Adam Ellis. The pair separated in October 2024 after six years of marriage. They share an eight-year-old daughter, Goldie.
Tensions over Desiree Deravi relationship
During her podcast appearance, Lindy revealed that relations between her and Michael were rocky following their 2016 divorce because she struggled to get along with his subsequent girlfriend, fashion designer Desiree Deravi, 46.
Michael and Deravi went public with their relationship shortly after his separation from Lindy was announced. The Daily Mail noted that it does not suggest Deravi was involved in, or had any connection to, the infidelity claims. Michael and Deravi eventually split in May 2019.
"The children's dad [Michael] had a new partner at the time... and it was really hard for me to see my children with that person," Lindy said of that transition. She added: "It was horrendous, actually, it was a really difficult time, but they ended up breaking up... That is a really difficult thing to experience."
Stellar magazine interview disclosures
Lindy previously opened up about her feelings regarding Deravi in a November 2016 interview with Stellar magazine. At the time, she stated that she felt "really hurt and humiliated" after discovering Michael's relationship with Deravi through media coverage rather than directly from him.
"I felt very let-down; that was probably the humiliation of finding out about things in a magazine. I didn't know that was going on, which was really hurtful," Lindy told Stellar in 2016.
She reflected on the end of her marriage: "Obviously we'd been struggling for a while, but I thought we were keeping a hold on it and trying really hard to work it out." Lindy added that she struggled with feelings of personal failure: "I felt like I'd failed in a way, as being a wife. I was feeling a bit like, 'Oh my God, I couldn't keep all this together. What's wrong with me?'"
Social media trolling controversy
Tensions between the former couple became public in July 2017 when Michael publicly accused Lindy of online harassment. The incident occurred after Deravi posted an Instagram selfie showing herself spending time at the beach with Michael's two daughters.
Michael publicly accused Lindy of using a fake online account under the username @j_cross1 to troll Deravi. "We know it's you @lindyklim. So just stop with the trolling... You're a grown woman and stop being so disrespectful," Michael wrote in social media comments that were widely reported at the time.
Deravi also made similar public statements, writing: "If @michaelklim1 doesn't mind and he is their father and the children don't mind why should anyone else especially since @lindyklim has been blocked for trolling."
Deravi further claimed: "Let's get one thing straight, making a fake account and trolling is never OK and these comments are not the first. It's constant and inappropriate. Not to mention the emails!"
Unaddressed claims and current status
Around the time Michael and Deravi made the trolling allegations, Lindy had announced she was pregnant with her then-new partner Adam Ellis. Lindy has never publicly addressed Michael's claims of anonymous trolling.
Following her October 2024 separation from Ellis, Lindy and Michael continue to focus on co-parenting their young adult and teenage children Stella, Rocco and Frankie, alongside Lindy's daughter Goldie.
