Alex McKinnon has explained that being paralysed in a shattering on-field accident helped him stop being so fixated on controlling everything in his life – and revealed he is keen to have children with his fiancée Lily Malone.
The former Newcastle Knights star was left wheelchair-bound for life when he fractured his C4 and C5 vertebrae in a tackle gone terribly wrong in a match against the Melbourne Storm in 2014.
McKinnon split from his wife and high school sweetheart Teigan Power in 2022 after they had three daughters, and has now found love with Malone, who he proposed to in Paris in October last year.
Now the 34-year-old has opened up about the silver lining that came with the injury that left him forever changed.
‘I was so fixated on control,’ he said of his life before the incident.
‘I still believe in trying to do your best every day, but there are a lot of things you can’t control that will impact where you end up.’
Alex McKinnon’s love life with fiancée Lily Malone (pictured together) has prompted him to say, ‘I’m living the dream life now’
The footy great (pictured with Malone after they got engaged in Paris) believes he was left wheelchair-bound for a good reason
McKinnon said he now believes breaking his back happened for a reason.
‘That was my path because I’m having a great impact now,’ he told News Corp.
‘It makes sense to me now … it didn’t initially.
‘Initially when you have a spinal cord injury, you want a cure. You want things to go back to the way they were.
‘But you need to get to a point in your life where you stop looking back and accept what you’re going through.’
McKinnon graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in psychological science in 2024 and is known for his work as a public speaker with charities and schools.
He has now returned to the Knights as a pathways recruitment analyst in addition to his work with Fox Sports.
McKinnon met Malone when they were both studying at the university and their romance went public in early 2024, when she was 22.
McKinnon (pictured with Malone) has now returned to working with the Newcastle Knights
The loved-up couple are due to marry in a year – and McKinnon has revealed he’s keen for more kids after having three daughters with his ex-wife
He gushed about the effect the social worker has had on his life since their love blossomed.
‘She’s a beautiful girl that has helped my spirituality journey and my ability to open up and connect and value different things,’ McKinnon said.
‘I’m very lucky to have her.’
Asked if he wants to have children with Malone, he replied, ‘One hundred per cent.
‘I need some boys. But I absolutely love being a girl dad.
‘The girls are very aware, they are massively observant and very considerate.
‘They don’t know life any different than me being in a wheelchair, and it comes from that.
‘I’m living the dream life now.
‘I love my partner. We get on so well.
‘The kids are healthy and happy and I have the nicest relationship with them.’
On Sunday morning, Malone posted an Instagram story with the caption ‘365 days until I’m Lily McKinnon’.
To celebrate getting engaged, Alex and Lily included a gallery of photos where they could be seen packing on the PDA against a backdrop of famous Paris landmarks.
One photo, shared to Instagram, shows Lily standing in front of the Louvre Museum flaunting her impressive engagement ring.
She also shared a close-up of the lavish rock, which features a large diamond on a gold band.
‘To say we are excited is an understatement,’ a member of Lily’s family wrote in the comments section.
‘You two are very special,’ they continued, ‘we are so happy for you and welcome you into our family Alex.’
