The Real Reason Behind Thorpie's shock Split

Ian realised he wasn’t ready to settle down when he and his boyfriend started talking about having a baby together

Ian Thorpe is anything but heartbroken over his split with model boyfriend Ryan Channing, telling friends he’s “relieved” it’s finally over after spending 12 months fighting about everything from finances to fatherhood.

“He’s in great shape,” confides one of his neighbours, who says his famous mate had been struggling to find happiness in the relationship for months, before ending it and asking Ryan to move out of his house.

“It was an intense four-year relationship – Ian’s first grown-up relationship and his first serious gay relationship. I think he just grew out of it as he became more and more comfortable in his own skin.”

The confident new Thorpie is like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon, according to friends, who say when he started to date model and law student Ryan in 2015, they were so worried he’d get his heart broken they considered an intervention.