‘It’s all bulls**t’: Jake Stringer and ex-partner deny rumours of Western Bulldogs love triangle
Western Bulldogs forward Jake Stringer has rubbished “bulls**t” about ex-partner Abby Gilmore and fellow Bulldog Jason Johannisen, angrily rejecting the idea that personal friction has anything to do with the team’s current losing streak.
Stringer used Instagram in a bid to set the record straight.
“Let’s all get one thing straight!!! Abby is the best mum to my little girls and has not done one thing WRONG EVER,” he posted to his 50,000 followers.
“Second of all Jason is a brother to ME.
“So if you wanna talk crap leave my family and mates alone go [somewhere] else ’cause it’s all bulls**t!! #ENDOFSTORY.”
Stringer – who had two children with Gilmore – could have been referring to comments made by former Melbourne champion David Schwarz earlier this week.
Schwarz said on SEN Radio after the Bulldogs slumped to another loss that “there are players down there that aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on a number of issues and some of them aren’t footy related”.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gilmore also spoke out on Instagram, using the ‘Stories’ format to release a series of videos in which she said she had “never touched Jason” and that the pair were “best mates”.
“This is where I have a voice and can tell you what actually is happening rather than continue to read these useless articles about some love triangle that’s happening,” she said.
“It’s getting super old. Jason is my best mate. That’s it. Like that’s literally it, there’s no story. I don’t get it. I don’t know why people assume more.
“Put me on live TV and hook me up to a lie detector. Honestly, I feel like that is what it has come to.
“I’ve never touched Jason and I don’t ever plan on it, just letting you know. He’s one of my best mates, always will be.”
Gilmore added that she had been friends with Johannisen for a long time.
“I understand people are going to write and assume whatever they like,” she said.
“I would just like to set the record straight and you’ve heard it from me here, that what happened with Jake and I had absolutely nothing to do with Jason, he wasn’t even part of it so I don’t know how this has started.
“We were friends before kids, we were friends during kids and we’re friends while my kids are growing up, whether that be single or with someone so I don’t see why this is all pointing at Jason.
“It’s definitely to do with Jake and I, and that’s it.”
The public denials come as the Western Bulldogs struggle to regain the form which won them the 2016 AFL premiership.
The club currently sits outside the top eight and many of its stars, including Johannisen, have failed to perform at the same levels as last year.