The moment that made Bob Hawke come clean
When former Prime Minister Bob Hawke shared that he was leaving his wife - and mother of his four children - the news came as one of the biggest scandals in Australian political history.
Hawke admitted to having a two-decade-long affair with journalist and author Blanche d’Alpuget while married to Hazel Hawke.
Hawke was the first of Australia’s Prime Ministers to divorce when he ended his marriage four years after leaving office.
The wake-up call
The affair began in 1976 and ended a few years later with the pair remaining with their respective partners until the mid-1980s.
Hawke and d’Alpuget had no contact following the publication of Hawke’s biography - written by d’Alpuget - in 1982.
D’Alburget divorced from husband Tony Pratt in 1986, and a surprise call from Hawke asking to meet her resparked their affair.
They continued to meet in secret until 1992, when the politician had his wake-up call.
Following a light plane crash in Queensland involving d’Alpuget, Hawke’s belief that she had died in the incident left him devastated.
After discovering she had come out of the crash completely fine, Hawke realised he had to come clean about the affair so he could be with her.
Within two years, Hawke had divorced Hazel and married d’Alpuget.
Though Hazel and Hawke had a difficult marriage - with Hawke’s heavy drinking and infidelity causing a lot of strife - he still cared for her.
After her death in 2013, Hawke said: “I remember Hazel with a deep affection and gratitude. She was more than a wife and mother, being father as well during my frequent absences as I pursued an industrial then political career.”
Hazel died in 2013 at age 83, after being diagnosed with dementia.
Bob Hawke died in 2019, aged 89, after a short illness.
Image: 9honey