By Tyson Otto

Copyright news

The fitness queen was set to steal the show on the AFL’s night of nights when appearing with Geelong star Bailey Smith.

However, The Herald Sun reports Hembrow, 31, will not be attending the event with Smith, who is attending the event for the first time since 2021.

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“She’s definitely not going with him,” a source told the The Herald Sun.

The Cats star has been in red hot form this season and is on the second line of betting to win the game’s most prestigious individual honour. Collingwoods Nick Daicos is still favoured to take out the award.

According to the report, the romance between Hembrow and Smith has “cooled” with the footballer making moves to try to step out of the spotlight after a week of drama.

The Cats star is now fully focused on Geelong’s preliminary final against Hawthorn on Friday at the MCG.

Smith has avoided the Brownlow Medal red carpet since 2021, missing the 2023 and 2024 vote-counts as a result of a knee injury.

He was overlooked for a spot on the Western Bulldogs’ table in 2022.

It is unclear if Smith will take another date to the event on Monday if Hembrow is not in attendance.

MORE: Hembrow’s $50m limbo in bombshell split

It was only three weeks ago that the pair confirmed they are in a relationship.

The Gold Coast influencer and footballer shared intimate photos from a date in Melbourne.

The Melbourne outing followed weeks of rumours after they were spotted on a date near Hembrow’s home at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast last month.

The mother of three raised concerns this week when sharing a vulnerable video message on TikTok.

Hembrow, who has 17 million Instagram followers, said in the clip: “I had a bit of a crash out the other day, like I started filming a full crash out video that I was going to post on TikTok.

“But I couldn’t… I couldn’t get through it without crying.

“There is no way I will post myself crying on any freaking app ever again because I’m just going to get made fun of.

“You can’t be vulnerable online because people just make fun of you.

“But anyway, I’m glad I didn’t post it because it was just a bit of a moment.”

It is unclear what made Hembrow become so upset over the weekend.

Hembrow’s appearance at the Brownlow would have stretched event organisers after the league made a conscious decision to attempt to divert attention away from players’ wives and partners in an attempt to turn the spotlight back on the footballers.

According to the Herald Sun, many wives and girlfriends who have featured on previous best-dressed lists have been snubbed for this year’s guest list, with the AFL opting to invite players who are more likely to snag a vote.

An AFL insider told the Herald Sun: “The Brownlow is who is the fairest and best player in the competition as opposed to who has the hottest girlfriend.”

Traditionally, around four to five players from each club are invited to attend the Brownlow Medal ceremony, along with their partners or a choice of a plus one.

It has been a turbulent month for Smith. Last week he was forced to apologise for a so-called verbal tirade towards a female photographer during a training session.

Smith is reported to have become upset with News Corp photographer Alison Wynd as players trained at GMHBA Stadium.

Photos showed Smith sticking his middle finger up in the direction of the snapper as a member of the club’s medical staff appeared to give Smith’s back a massage ahead of the session.

According to the report, Smith launched a “verbal tirade” towards Wynd and accused the photographer of “baiting him”.

When Wynd responded by saying she was just doing her job, Smith is reported to have said: “You do a f***ing s*** job”.

Following widespread condemnation from the AFL world, Smith reached out to Wynd, expressing remorse for his actions.

Wynd reportedly thanked him for the apology and for admitting he was out of line and his actions were inappropriate.

Melbourne’s Crown Palladium will again host this year’s Brownlow Medal count on Monday, September 22, at the start of grand final week.