Australian water polo Olympian Tilly Kearns has revealed that she has split up with her American football player boyfriend solely because of the unsolvable problems of maintaining their long-distance relationship.
Kearns, who took home a silver medal at last year’s Paris Games, has shocked her friends and followers by announcing her break-up with Los Angeles Rams player Justin Dedich.
The couple, who met at an American university several years ago, have parted ways on the best of terms and are ‘hoping that the universe brings them back together’ in the future.
‘Justin and I are not together anymore,’ Kearns told her YouTube followers.
‘Purely because of long distance and it’s not what we wanted…
‘We’re still very much best friends and hoping that the universe brings us back together.’
Tilly Kearns has broken up with Los Angeles Rams player Justin Dedich (pictured together)
Kearns revealed making their long-distance relationship work while she stayed in Australia became too hard, leaving them both ‘devastated’
‘It isn’t our choice, but it has to be this way – thanks to long distance and our sports. Maybe once we’re both retired, it’ll work.
‘Everything in this video, we still love each other forever. Everything in this video is 5000 per cent true.
‘It makes me so happy looking back on it, but also sad – and yes, we’re both f**king devastated, but what can you do?’
Kearns then played a Q&A video that she made with Dedich while the pair were still dating, in which they answered questions about various topics, including their relationship.
The couple spoke about how they met, what their pet peeves about each other are and how they managed to stay together when they were so far apart.
Kearns said the keys to making it work are being understanding, having open communication and being OK with not talking every day.
‘There were times when we’d want to call every day for hours and hours and we’d do that – then the next week “I’m really busy this week, I’m exhausted”, because you’ve got to deal with the time difference, too.
Dedich added: ‘If you’re uncertain, don’t do it.’
Kearns revealed she and the NFL star still love each other and are ‘hoping that the universe brings them back together’
The couple posted a Q&A video on YouTube (pictured) in which they spoke about their relationship
The couple made the shock decision when they decided they couldn’t go another three years being stuck half a world away from each other
When asked what the couple had learned about love by having a long-distance relationship, the NFL star said ‘it wasn’t stagnant’.
‘It’s something you have to work at,’ Dedich said.
‘You can’t be just like “it was easy in the beginning, it will just stay like that”. It’s hard, you’ve got to put in effort to do extra stuff.’
On Wednesday, an emotional Kearns addressed the break-up on her Instagram page, posting that she hoped the YouTube video would answer all the questions she’s been getting.
In August last year, Kearns revealed the touching moment Dedich surprised her at the Paris Olympics as she was walking into the swimming arena.
‘Firstly, he’s a rookie in the NFL and he had his first ever NFL game the next day, so it literally was not even a thought in my head,’ Kearns explained in a TikTok video.
‘Like, he was just doing his thing, I was doing my thing, we just knew we couldn’t be there to support each other in person to support each other.’
Kearns is visibly shocked in the video when she sees Dedich supporting her in the stands.
‘This is one of my old water polo coaches so I was already so surprised seeing him,’ she says during the video.
Kearns was stunned to see Dedich in the stands before her match at the Paris Olympics last year (pictured)
Dedich (centre) is pictured playing for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL
‘Then I walk a little bit further and this is the moment I see him.’
Kearns went on to explain how her boyfriend managed to make the trip happen.
‘Turns out that when we won our semi final to get into the gold medal game he went up to his head coach, really ballsy of him, and basically was like, “Tell me if I’m out of line, but can I go?”‘ she said.
‘And the coach was like, “Yeah, man, what are you still doing here? Go.” And so he got on a plane that night and flew.’
Dedich’s whirlwind trip to Paris lasted less than 24 hours before he was back on a plane home.
Kearns was born with elite sport in her veins.
Her footy star father, Phil Kearns, played during the Wallabies’ most successful era in the 1990s, while her mother Julie introduced her to the Olympics two weeks before giving birth.
‘My parents went to the Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremony and I was in mum’s belly and I was born the day after the Closing Ceremony,’ Kearns said.
