Channel Seven football reporter Mitch Cleary stated his priority is to regain the trust of his fiancée, Kate Watts, following an incident where he admitted to kissing a Collingwood staff member. The event occurred while Watts was pregnant with their first child.
Cleary, the network's chief AFL reporter, described the situation as causing "incredible stress" for his loved ones. He and Watts, a presenter for Racing.com, welcomed their daughter, Sophia, in February, approximately three months after the reported kiss during an off-season trip abroad last November.
"My only concern from here is for my fiancée and winning back her trust," Cleary told the Herald Sun. "The whole incident has been completely unfair on her as well as my family and those closest to me."
Sources confirmed the kiss took place during personal time at a bar while Cleary was overseas with Collingwood employees and players. A Collingwood source stated that the staff member involved expressed regret for the incident and any impact their actions caused, clarifying that rumors about the staff member being from the media department were false.
Sources close to Seven indicated that Cleary was remorseful and would not face further disciplinary action, with plans for him to continue his reporting duties during the network's AFL coverage. The controversy became public after Watts reportedly shared an Instagram story, later deleted, that named the staff member.
Cleary issued a public apology on Instagram on September 1, calling the kiss a "terrible error in judgement" and disputing some circulating claims about the circumstances. He later discussed the matter on the Tradies podcast, acknowledging it as a "major error" that caused significant hurt and embarrassment.
Cleary and Watts became engaged in February 2024 and have been in a relationship for about five years. Watts is the sister of former Melbourne and Port Adelaide footballer Jack Watts.