The family of Aussie actress and pop star Holly Valance has spoken out after she was seen kissing her former bodyguard following her split from billionaire husband Nick Candy.
Valance, 42, separated from Candy, 52, last June after 13 years of marriage, and was seen holding hands last week with former soldier Grant Gale.
Gale, 34, once worked for Candy as a bodyguard for his family.
In a rare emotional message, Holly's stepmother Kim, who is married to her father, Ryko Valance, appeared to defend the actress and said she wished she could 'hug her'.
'Those who know me know I rarely share anything publicly about my family but, quite frankly, I do look forward to the actual truth being told, if it ever happens,' she said in a lengthy social media post.
'When I was in London recently, my heart completely broke at the emotional pain caused to my stepdaughter.
'I've known this incredible soul since she was 9-years-old. I've watched her evolve through the years into a woman, a faithful and incredible wife, a devoted and adoring mother, a thoughtful and kind big sister.'
Valance was seen on two separate occasions with ex-military man Gale, from South Wales, who previously worked at the sprawling Chelsea mansion she shared with property tycoon Candy.
Holly Valance has been spotted with her former bodyguard Grant Gale in London
Valance, 42, separated from her billionaire husband , Nick Candy, 52, last June
In a rare emotional message her stepmother Kim, who is married to Holly's father Ryko Valance, revealed the toll recent events have taken on the star
The pair were seen strolling through a park before sitting down for a chat on a bench, where Gale rested his arm around the mother-of-two before draping his jacket over her shoulders.
Valance first met Candy in 2009 before he proposed two years later. They married in 2012 in a $5 million California ceremony in front of 300 guests, including Simon Cowell.
Valance, who shot to fame in the late Nineties as Flick Scully on Neigbours, has attracted attention over the past year after entering a dramatically different phase of her life.
Since the separation, she has undergone a public reinvention, stepping away from her entertainment career and re-emerging as a vocal political figure.
Valance has thrown her support behind Reform UK and aligned herself with a number of right-wing commentators, drawing both support and backlash for her views.
She has previously said she left Australia because it had 'gone big on woke stuff'.
Meanwhile, her former husband has also made headlines following their split.
Candy recently secured one of the largest property deals in history, selling the couple's Chelsea mansion for $518 million.
Kim (far left) has been stepmother to Holly Valance (second right) since she was nine
Gale is a former soldier who was employed to look after Holly
Nick Candy recently secured one of the largest property deals in history, selling the couple's Chelsea mansion for more than $500m
The mansion had been the centrepiece of the couple's life together during their marriage, making its sale a symbolic end to their relationship.
Despite the divorce, both Valance and Candy have remained linked through business interests tied to the property, although it is unclear how the proceeds of the sale have been divided.
Candy has also reportedly moved on in his private life. Since September, he has been dating a 33-year-old Swedish socialite named Camilla.