How to make your blended family work: Lisa Curry, Grant Kenny and Fifi Box say it’s all about love
''We always said we will always be there.''
People from blended families know that explaining your family tree can be comically complicated at times, but love is there at the end of the day.
The US has the Kardashians, but here in Australia, we have the Curry, Kenny, and Box clan, although that is where their connection to the reality television clan ends.
This athletic family tree began when sporting legends Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny got married in 1986.
A few years later, the Olympic swimmer and Ironman welcomed their daughters Jaimi Lee, Morgan Gruell, and their son Jett Kenny.
For decades Lisa and Grant were Australia’s golden couple until they shook the nation by separating in May 2009.
While we were never privy to the nitty-gritty of their relationship breakdown, we know it was a journey to finalise their departure from each other because they didn’t sign their divorce papers until 2017.
Lisa told Now To Love in 2020 that their biggest goal was to create a harmonious co-parenting situation for the sake of their children.
“Grant and I as parents, we always said we will always be there for all our kids, for everything that they do,” she explained.
“Every success, every failure, every try, everything, it didn’t matter. Just being there and being proud is really important as parents.”
Jett Kenny, pictured here with sister Jaimi Lee, says he regrets not always being the best brother to her.
Morgan Gruell has two sons, Flynn and Taj, with her husband Ryan.
Jett with nephew Flynn.
Lisa broke down on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here when she revealed that she couldn’t marry her new partner Mark Tabone because she was still married to Grant, but after meeting in 2015, they were able to wed three years later on the Sunshine Coast and in Malta.
“We thought it would be fun to take our wedding outfits on our honeymoon, so we could get some really unusual and fun wedding photos,” the 59-year-old told 9Honey in 2020.
Lisa continued: “We had photos taken in amazing places including at The Taj Mahal, on the suburban streets of India, at the pyramids in Egypt, on the sand dunes and at the gorgeous hotel in the desert, 200kms from Abu Dhabi on the edge of The Empty Quarter, and in Gozo, Malta where Mark spent his teenage years.”
Grant, 58, has yet to settle down again, but he and TV and radio personality Fifi Box share daughter, Trixie, who was born in 2014.
The unexpected couple kept Trixie’s parentage a secret for a while until the radio host finally shared a picture of them together to confirm the news.
Grant hasn’t spoken too much about their relationship, but in 2014 he told Woman’s Day, “I’m very happy” about becoming a father again.
Fifi has since given Trixie a sister called Daisy, who was welcomed via IVF.
Of course, the three children Grant shares with his first wife are all adults now, and Morgan has a family of her own.
The 31-year-old met her husband, Ryan, who hails from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, but their relationship was long distance for a few years while Morgan danced for the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
Lisa met Mark Tabone when she was still married to Kenny, so their marriage had to wait.
Grant Kenny maintains a relationship with daughter Trixie.
Behind the scenes on Dancing with the Stars, Fifi Box with her daughters Trixie and Daisy.
They eventually wed in 2016, and she revealed on her Instagram alongside a shot of her holding hands with Ryan at the altar, “It was a beautiful day to marry the man of my dreams.”
In December 2018, they welcomed their first son, Flynn, and then in November 2020, Morgan gave birth to their second son, Taj.
However, they weren’t quite finished growing their little family because, in November 2021, the dancer revealed she is expecting her third child.
“My beautiful baby girl 😍😍 So happy for you and you’re a beautiful family. Crazy grannie to the rescue when you need xxx,” commented Lisa on her daughter’s announcement.
Jett, 27, was an Ironman like his dad, but he expanded into modelling and reality television to carve his own path.
Although he loves his family, he revealed on SAS Australia that he finds it difficult grappling with his famous last name and the less positive impact it has on his life.
“I remember being on the back page of the newspaper as an under-11 Nipper, and I was crying as I was walking up the beach.
“I guess I just didn’t understand the warrant of having my last name associated with me.
“People have always seen me as something else. I’ve always been a Kenny and never just Jett,” he shared.
A bitter-sweet reminder of Jaimi Lee’s relationship with Trixie.
Morgan Gruell is expecting her third child.
On September 14, 2020, the family was struck by incredibly devastating tragedy when Jaimi Lee passed away at 33, following an ongoing health struggle.
Lisa shared tributes dedicated to her as much as possible, and on Instagram, she spoke about the “gut-wrenching, heartbreaking moment” when they all had to say goodbye.
“Grant and I feel broken. I’ve lost myself. But each day I try to continue on, one step at a time to get things done, to continue being a mother, a grannie, a wife, a friend, a business owner … at times distracting myself so much that I can’t think of anything,” she penned.
“But then the quiet times come, and everything comes flooding back, every feeling, every memory and I feel like I’m drowning in the pain.
Recently, Jett opened up on SAS about not being “a good enough brother” to Jaimi when she was alive.
“We did everything we could as a family — and for Jaimi— to try and bring her out of it, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case,” he said in between tears.
This article first appeared on Now To Love and has been reproduced and edited with permission.
