Towering highs and devastating lows: Lisa Curry opens up about life and loss

Lisa Curry was the golden girl of the pool in the ’80s.

She made three Olympic teams, was touted as Australia’s super-mum when she returned to elite swimming after having her first child, and her 1986 wedding to Ironman Grant Kenny was the sports wedding of the year.

Despite spending more than a decade at the top of her game, Curry never won an Olympic medal.

She was disappointed at the time but now, on the cusp of 60, says her perspective has changed.

“I like to think the process of trying to win and what it made of me was far greater than any medal,” she told Neil Mitchell.

Curry’s eldest daughter Jaimi Lee tragically died two years ago after a struggle with addiction and an eating disorder, and she says the loss has made her a different person.

While she’s spent her life in the public eye, none of her story had ever been told from her perspective, and following Jaimi Lee’s death that became a priority for Curry, who has written a book about her life.

“You’ve got to talk about these things more to get it out in the open … there’s way too many young people out there suffering and if we can find a way to help them we must. It’s our duty, we must,” she said.

“I want people to know that they’re not alone. Even if you see someone who’s in the public eye, who seems to be successful and have it all, it’s not all roses.”

Press PLAY below to hear Lisa Curry open up to Neil Mitchell about the highs and lows of her life

Image: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images