“I lucked out when I met Jeanni, honestly, all of my dreams came true. I struck gold with this one,” he says with a smile, throwing his arm around her.
“He did,” Jeanni laughs, giving him a peck on the cheek.
Just a few short weeks after they tied the knot, we joined the pair in Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Hotel for a catch-up. The last time VIP shot with Greg he was happily single but hoped to meet someone and settle down. He told us about his dreams to find his other half, get married and start a family one day, and a quick flick forward to the present day, he couldn’t be happier with how things have worked
out.
“I’m genuinely thrilled,” he told us. “It was a complete chance that our paths ever crossed, we weren’t even in the same country! She sent me a message while away in Bali, we spoke on the phone for a while and then the rest is history.”
The pair have spent the last few months travelling for both work and fun, but are excited to settle into their Dublin home. “I bought an apartment not too long ago but Jeanni has transformed the place. It needed a woman’s touch! It’ll be our home for the foreseeable, but who knows what the future holds?”
Here, we chat to Greg and Jeanni about that; looking forward and their plans for 2026…
We’d imagine it’ll be pretty hard to top 2025 for you both, but how are you feeling moving into the new year?
Greg: Wow, 2025 was definitely the best year of my life so far. I married the woman of my dreams and achieved some of my career goals too. I love a new year because I use it to reset, to reevaluate my values, and to set targets for the year both personally and professionally. It’s going to be hard to top last year though!
Jeanni: I doubt anything could top last year either. I started the year becoming a fiancé and ended the year as a wife to my best friend, but now the real journey starts as we build our future together. I’m so excited for what the new year has to offer.
Are you into resolutions, are you making any this year?
G: I feel like big new year’s resolutions put unnecessary pressure on people and tends to set you up for failure when the motivation depletes a couple weeks later. I prefer to set more feasible targets that are currently out of reach but I should be able to achieve within 12 months. For instance, I want to improve my Spanish so I’m more confident to speak on holidays. Or improve my marathon time whether that’s by one second or five minutes. Or spend more time with my nephews.
J: I agree with what Greg said, it really puts a lot of pressure on people. It’s definitely a nice idea, but I don’t feel like we have to wait for the new year or wait for a Monday to start something that we want for ourselves. I believe you should make small goals that will help you reach your main one. I really want to improve in my Pilates journey this year and grow as a teacher, but you learn something new each day so one step at a time.
Greg, during our last shoot together, you told us one of your goals was to meet the love of your life. You told us that you hope was to find a partner, get married and start a family one day. And now, here you are, happily married with Jeanni. You must be over the moon!
G: All my dreams came true when I met Jeanni. We’re so fortunate to have found each other because we’re such a good match. I truly count my lucky stars waking up beside her everyday, and I’m so glad she said yes to me because I know I’m not the easiest person to live with. I’m a bit of a clean freak and majorly into my fitness and wellbeing so I’m grateful Jeanni has patience for those things! We’ve just started married life, so kids are something for the future but I couldn’t be happier with where we are right now.
Take us back to the start. How did it all come about for you? It was over texts in Bali wasn’t it?
G: Yeah! Long story short, Jeanni was solo travelling in Bali and met two Irish girls who I don’t know but they had watched me on Love Island and listened to me on podcasts. They felt Jeanni and I might have similar personalities, so when they were out one day, they convinced Jeanni to message me on Instagram. I replied, we chatted for two months over WhatsApp and FaceTime, then Jeanni stopped in Dublin on her way to work in London, but never actually left again. Two and a half years later, we got married!
The wedding was such a gorgeous day. Can you sum it up here?
G: Ah, it was the most magical intimate day. We went against the grain and had a 20 person ceremony and gorgeous dinner in The College Green Hotel. They took fantastic care of us. The day was perfect with family and one close friend each, which allowed us to spend quality time with everyone and make some wonderful memories. We then had a drinks reception in House Dublin where we had our first date, so it was a nice full circle moment and we invited our larger friend group to join us there to celebrate. We were at home in bed by midnight with massive smiles on our faces. I had so much fun.
What was your favourite part of the day, for both of you?
G: My favourite part was Jeanni reading her vows. She looked breathtakingly beautiful and her words were written so eloquently. We both finished our vows with the same exact phrase without consulting each other which was absolutely nuts…definitely made for each other.
J: It’s so hard to just pick one, so my top three were: the vows, there’s something so special about hearing and saying in detail how much your partner means to you, it’s raw, real and beautiful. Having my mom and brother there by my side was another. And without a doubt how thoughtful Greg was by taking the time and asking all my family and friends who couldn’t make it to record a video as their wedding day speeches.
That must have been emotional.
J: Unexpected and unbelievably emotional! I already cried so many happy tears that morning and that just sent me over the edge. It was so sweet and thoughtful, it made my heart extra happy.
G: It was a mission to gather but her loved ones in South Africa pulled through and Jeanni was dehydrated from the floods of happy tears!
And then you both surprised your loved ones in South Africa in December with a trip to see them. How was that?
G: Seeing all of Jeanni’s nearest and dearest so soon after getting married was serendipitous. It was the cherry on top of a perfect couple of weeks; getting married, then the three week honeymoon in Bali, then South Africa.
Did you celebrate the wedding again there, or do you plan to at some stage?
G: We had a braai (South African big bbq family gathering) with Jeanni’s extended family and grandparents. And we had a few meals with Jeanni’s friends. So staying on theme with the wedding, very intimate celebrations and spending time with close ones.
Now you’re living together in Dublin and on the shoot, you joked about Jeanni putting her touches on the house. Are you happy to call that home now for the foreseeable?
G: Thank God she feels comfortable enough to put a womanly touch on the apartment. It was such a boy’s place and it really needed the facelift. She’s made it a home rather than just an apartment. Dublin is definitely our home for the next few years. We’re still young
and I just bought the place. Maybe in the future if we can afford it, we will look to spend more time in Cape Town because we also love it there, and it’s near Jeanni’s family.
Travel is so important for you both, you love an adventure!
G: We love travelling! Travelling is amazing and we’ve seen so much of the world already, and have created some cherished memories together such as seeing Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and skiing in the French Alps. However, we prefer to have our base in Ireland and travel for shorter stints now. There’s no place like home!
You even opted for a gorgeous big honeymoon over an overly lavish wedding, taking yourselves back to Bali where it all started…
G: Bali was ever better than I expected. That’s where Jeanni was based when we first started chatting. The money we saved on the intimate wedding we used for a big honeymoon. We went five stars for three weeks and it was the best idea ever. We had so much fun and made memories to last a lifetime. I’d recommend it to anyone planning a wedding; keep it intimate with your genuine close people, and splash the cash on the honeymoon.
You certified as scuba instructors there, right?
G: Yeah, it was so cool. It wasn’t planned, our kind friend Eduardo knew scuba diving was on my bucket list but I never had the chance to do it. So as a wedding present, he booked us scuba diving in the Gili T islands in Bali. We loved it so much we went on to do the full Open Water Diver course. We will dive every year now I reckon!
We spoke about the importance of striking a balance, how you love to relax when away, but you’re still conscious of staying active, too. Best of both worlds?
G: Both of us are very into health and wellness, and I know that’s not for everyone but we love it. So our trips tend to revolve around fun activities, good food and relaxing. We personally just don’t like the feeling after drinking alcohol and we feel it impacts our trip in a way we don’t desire. We love to get out and about but also love relaxing during the afternoons in the sun.
Mental and physical health go hand-in-hand, what do you do to look after yours?
G: My life revolves around fitness. I truly believe in the phrase your health is your wealth. There’s no point having loads of money in your pocket if you’re too sick to enjoy it.
J: Taking care of yourself starts from the inside, and I’ve never regretted moving my body even if it’s just a good stretch rather than a big workout. It always helps me feel good mentally and physically.
You compete in Iron Man races, marathons, Hyrox competitions, but also Pilates and yoga, too. Do you enjoy dipping into it all, and varying things up?
G: I’m a Jack of all trades, master of none [Laughs]. After over a decade as a rugby player and being so restricted in training, I love to try a bit of everything and take on different challenges. That’s not the way to master a sport, but I feel like I’ve already done that with going to the Olympics. Now I love to just try other sports because there’s no pressure to perform.
Jeanni, you told us on the shoot that you’d love to open a Pilates studio together one day. Can you see that happening soon?
J: We’re hoping too but need the finances and experience first. We both got qualified as instructors in May, in Reformer, too, and just need to gain experience now. We’d love to link up with a studio in Dublin and spend a few years there working with other instructors and enjoying helping others fall in love with fitness.
We’ve read that it’s increasing in popularity with rugby teams and in certain countries they’ve made it part of their typical training. Greg, does that make sense given your background?
G: If I could go back and do my rugby career again, the only thing I would change is I’d do less weights and more Pilates. In my opinion, it’s the best supplementary practice to any sport. The movement, mobility and strength you gain is incredibly beneficial for all activity and general life.
Do you ever miss rugby, or does commentating sports scratch that itch now?
G: Since retiring, commentating is as close as I’ve got to an adrenaline rush since playing. Nothing will ever replace the feeling of working towards a goal as a sports team and achieving it, such as competing at the Tokyo Olympics. However, I’m happy it happened and not sad it’s over. I’m fortunate I got to live out my childhood dream of being a professional rugby player and Olympian. And I got to retire on my own terms. Even though I miss the camaraderie of a professional sports team, I do scratch the itch with what I do now in regards commentary and content creation around endurance events.
Wrapping this up, did you learn anything in 2025 that you want to bring into the new year and improve on? What are your hopes for the year?
G: I learned that sometimes things happen out of your control and that’s just life. I want to continue to improve on controlling the controllables such as my work ethic and attitude towards things. For 2026, I hope my family and I stay healthy and as happy as possible. My sister Laura is also pregnant with her first child, so I hope that all goes smoothly and I’m looking forward to meeting the baby!
J: I learned that we can all do hard things, for example I never believed I could be a runner and last year I ran my second marathon! It was painful and long but I pushed through and got to that finish line. I hope that in 2026 I get to spend more time with my close friends and family and continue to make beautiful memories with my husband. Also, if a dog is in our future plans I wouldn’t mind that…[laughs]
