Former senator, Nick Xenophon has responded to his ex-partner’s claims that he was ‘manipulative and controlling’, saying they are ‘extremely hurtful and wrong’.
Advance SA Candidate Jenny Low launched a personal attack against Mr Xenophon during a press conference on Friday where she claimed a romantic relationship between them had been emotionally abusive.
During her speech, Ms Low claimed she had a seven-year relationship with Xenophon.
Ms Low, 34, is set to run alongside Peter Humphries for MP John Darley's Advance SA party in the March state election.
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“It was never my intention for this to become public. I’ve always prided myself in keeping my personal and professional life separate,” she said.
“I was very young when the relationship began. I thought the manipulative and controlling behaviours towards me were normal,” she alleged.
Ms Low claimed Mr Xenophon kept their relationship a secret.
Soon after the press conference Mr Xenophon said he was “deeply saddened that a failed long-term relationship that I was involved in has been used by the Advance SA Party for blatant political gain.”
“The party should be renamed Gutter SA.”
He wished his former partner well in her campaign and confirmed the pair had a romantic relationship after she finished working for his campaign in 2007.
Nick Xenophon says the allegations from Ms Low are 'hurtful and wrong'. Source: AAP
“During the time she worked for the campaign, my relationship with Jenny Low was a purely professional working relationship and I was grateful for her assistance during the campaign. She did excellent work.
“After Jenny finished working for the campaign, our romantic relationship developed over time. The relationship waxed and waned, and there were several long breaks until we finally parted company in mid-2014. I made no secret of the relationship.
“I did my best to make the relationship work. We both sought and obtained relationship counselling together in late 2013 and early 2014. Sadly, that did not save our relationship.
Mr Xenophon said the relationship ended as they were not compatible.
“I absolutely reject and am most distressed by any suggestion my relationship with Jenny was abusive or predatory in any way, manipulative or controlling. I deeply regret that we couldn’t make the relationship work.”
He also criticised Mr Darley for choosing “to use my former relationship at his party’s launch” as it “smacks of the lowest form of dirty and desperate political opportunism”.
