Nathan Charles Buckley, a former professional Australian rules football coach, and commentator, is listed as one of the top 50 players of all time by journalist Mike Sheahan.
After winning the first Rising Star Award in 1993, Buckley became one of the best players in the league, leading Collingwood from 1999 to 2007.
In that period, he became the third player in history to win both the Brownlow Medal in 2003 and the Norm Smith Medal for best player in the field in the 2002 Grand Final despite playing for the losing club.
Buckley led the Australian international rules football team against Ireland and was chosen for the All-Australian Team seven times.
After the 2007 AFL season, Buckley resigned from playing and joined the Seven Network as a pundit. In 2004, he was first inducted into the Collingwood Hall of Fame.
Apart from his professional career, Nathan made headlines in 2020, after disclosing his new relationship, just weeks after his divorce from his wife, Tania.
Quick Facts:
| Age | 50 years old (July 26, 1972, Adelaide, Australia) |
| Height | 1.86m |
| Wife | Tania Minnici (m. 2002-2020) |
| Children | Ayce Dominic Buckley, and Jett Charles Buckley |
| Siblings | Sarah Buckley |
| Awards | Brownlow Medal, AFL Rising Star, AFL Coach of the Year |
Nathan Buckley And Ex-Wife Tania Minnici Said Vows In 2002
When the former football coach was about 30 years old, he married his wife, Tania Minnici, in December 2002.
In 1999, Tania and Nathan first connected at a St. Kilda restaurant when she inquired about his wife’s and children’s whereabouts.
Following a brief courtship, the couple married in 2002 when Nathan proposed to Tania during a family BBQ. Family planning was next on their to-do list, but when it proved challenging to conceive, they went to IVF to fulfill their ambition.
Tania acknowledged in an interview with The Adviser that the process was “physically and mentally exhausting,” but they were fortunate to become pregnant on the first try.
The Former Couple Is Some Years Apart In Age
The age gap between Buckley and his estranged wife Minnici doesn’t seem too large. In fact, it looks like the former coach is a year older than his wife.
Tania seems like she’s in her late 40s compared to Nathan, who is 50 years old. He was born on July 26, 1972, in a neighborhood of Adelaide, South Australia.
Buckley’s family frequently traveled across Australia; by the time he was twelve, he had been to every critical mainland state.
Buckley And His Former Wife Divorced After 18 Years Of Marriage
On December 2020, the ex-couple openly announced their split after 11 months through a statement on Tania’s Instagram page.
Since then, they have been co-parenting their two kids, Ayce, 14, and Jett, 16, while keeping the unexpected split under wraps.
Nathan Buckley and Tania Minnici were pictured together just four days after they announced their separation.
The head coach of Collingwood, age 50, was seen fetching his golf clubs from the Melbourne residence he had occupied with his wife of 18 years and their two sons.
According to Daily Mail, an anxious Tania was sweeping leaves from the driveway as Nathan came out of the garage with his golf equipment. As they conversed on the driveway outside the residence, the former AFL golden couple gave off the impression of being inflexible.
As he left the house, Nathan observed Tania sweeping the driveway while the ex-couple exchanged awkward glances. The ex-couple stood on the driveway and glared at each other during a challenging period.
Moreover, Nathan left the family home when he returned to Melbourne after the Magpies’ AFL Grand Final defeat to Richmond in Queensland.
Commentator Nathan’s Two Kids From His First Marriage
The 50-year-old is a father to two kids, shared with his ex-wife, Tania Minnici. They had son Jett in 2006 and were shocked to learn they could naturally conceive a second child, son Ayce, who was born two years later.
In an open interview, Nathan Buckley’s wife revealed details about their experience using IVF. Tania Buckley discusses her husband’s role as her pillar of support during their struggle to conceive in an exclusive interview with Weekend magazine.
Since she didn’t believe she could become pregnant naturally after Jett, they didn’t worry about birth control.
When Jett was a year old, they traveled to Dubai, and she got severely ill. Tania expressed her want to return home to Nathan. Tania experienced motion sickness on the flight, and when their mother revealed that she was pregnant, they were shocked.
Additionally, Ayce, their youngest son, is the funniest kid and is described as a miracle child.
According to the pictures on his Instagram page, both of his sons are now adults. His youngest son will turn 14 in 2022, while his oldest son will be 16 then.
After Divorce, Nathan Started A New Relationship With Girlfriend Alex Pike
The AFL star is presently seeing cosmetic nurse Alex Pike, albeit they have opted to keep their relationship largely under wraps.
First connected in early 2021, Alex, 44, and Nathan were described as having an “effortless” relationship by an unnamed friend to The Herald Sun.
Mum-of-three Alex, when shared a picture of herself next to Nathan a few months later to celebrate his 49th birthday, confirmed they were dating.
Although they have since published photos of themselves together, you won’t often hear the couple talking about how in love they are in interviews with the media.
Alex said she is “extremely discreet about the relationship” but added that she and Nathan “had a beautiful connection” in a rare interview with The Herald Sun in December last year.
Less Than A Year After Dating, The Duo Rumored To Have Parted Ways
After less than a year of dating, it was rumored that former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and his beautiful girlfriend Alex Pike had called it quits.
When asked about the alleged breakup, the mother-of-three declined to comment, stating to Daily Mail Australia that she wasn’t in a position to respond.
Similarly, the rumors surfaced after Nathan, 50, gushed over his I’m a Celebrity co-star Maria Thattil, 28, following their time together on January 18, 2022, at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The athlete posted a picture with Maria on Instagram and said, “Knowing Maria was like realizing that with people like her in the world, we are going to be ok.”
These reports could be untrue, though, as Pike, who also ended her nearly 19-year marriage, is still listed as his girlfriend on his Wikipedia page.
Buckley’s New Partner Alex Pike Is A Cosmetic Nurse
His girlfriend, Alex Pike, a registered nurse with more than 18 years of experience, is a mother of three children. Alex has been named the most popular injector in Victoria by Plastic Surgery Hub Australia for 2018 and is in high demand in Melbourne, Victoria, and rural NSW.
Likewise, she possesses a keen sense of contemporary natural beauty and technical accuracy.
Being a former model, Alex has experience-based knowledge of the value of looking our best and how it may improve our personal and professional lives.
In 2005, Alex finally got the chance to work with Dr. Bryan Mendelson, an internationally renowned plastic surgeon, and added plastic surgery nursing clinical experience to her resume.
Alex opened Face Clinic in Albury, New South Wales, in 2011, then in 2014, he partnered with The Doctors of Lavington to launch Delete Medical Laser Treatment.
Further, according to her website, she brings knowledge, enthusiasm, and, most importantly, patience to her cherished clientele.