Alex & Teigan McKinnon - STAYING UNITED FOR THEIR GIRLS

Their marriage captured the heart of the nation, but the couple have called it quits

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In an emotionally charged message, Teigan Power confirmed news of her shock separation from her high school sweetheart and former Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon.

After five years of marriage and 12 years together, Teigan took to Instagram last week to verify a report in The Sydney Morning Herald that detailed their marriage breakdown. In her post, she urged fans to respect their privacy at this time – but maintained family will always come first.

The mum-of-three described the split as amicable and stressed that both she and Alex will remain committed to co-parenting their beautiful children, twins Audrey and Violet, one, and eldest daughter Harriet, three.