In a wide-ranging interview with the Australian Women’s Weekly, the Labor leader provided a glimpse of the toll the split with his partner of 30 years (married for 19), former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt. He told the magazine he was left emotionally bruised by the sudden departure of his wife.But that pain would only last a year, with the man hoping to be the Prime Minister meeting his now partner Jodie Haydon a year later at an event in Melbourne. He said he had asked if there were any South Sydney fans in the audience, to which “Jodie yelled out, ‘Up the Rabbitohs’”.After he introduced himself the Mr Albanese found out she also lived a couple of suburbs away in his electorate of Marrickville. Ms Haydon, a strategic partnership manager for an industry super fund, revealed she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time she met the Labor leader. “I‘d reached a point in my life where I was enjoying being single,” she told the magazine. She said it was only when Mr Albanese was involved in a life-threatening car crash did she realise the depth of her feelings. “I saw the mess of a car before I saw him and thought, ‘He couldn’t survive this,’” Ms Haydon said. “It was very scary, and in that moment, you realise just how much you love this person, the fear of losing them.”A 17-year-old in a Range Rover had driven onto the wrong side of the road, colliding with the opposition leader’s car. Mr Albanese credits the crash with giving him the drive to reassess his life, shedding more than 18 kilograms as he heads into the fight of his political life. Ms Haydon said she is acutely aware that she is dating the man who could soon take the keys to the Lodge. “The first time I was out with him, and people wanted photos and to shake his hand, it all felt completely surreal,” Ms Haydon said. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, that’s right, this guy is running for PM!’ I know the months ahead will be intense. But my focus will simply be to support each other through it.”In a separate interview with the Australian Financial Review, Mr Albanese said he was confident his party could have a clear victory in the expected May poll. “I’m absolutely determined to have a majority government and think that we will,” he said.
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