Ryan James Fitzgerald is a popular radio and television personality who first found fame as an Australian rules footballer. He played for South Adelaide Football Club and Adelaide Crows before retiring due to injury. Ryan then picked up a career in the entertainment industry working as a tv presenter, comedian as well as radio presenter.
Well, thanks to his varied career in the entertainment business, people have shown much interest in his life story. So, in this biography, we will learn more about the multi-talented star including his family life, career trajectory, and relationship history.
Where Did Ryan James Fitzgerald Grow Up?
The former athlete was born in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, on October 16, 1976. While there is no information about Ryan James Fitzgerald’s parents and his childhood, he must have had a wonderful time growing up.
As for his education, Ryan James attended the Wirreanda High School in Morphett Vale, Adelaide. He was also interested in football from an early age and played for Port Noarlunga in junior football. He had dreams of playing professionally.
How Long Did Ryan James Fitzgerald Play Football Professionally?
As stated above, Ryan James played junior football and wanted to pursue it professionally. He was drafted 4th overall by Sydney Swans in the 1998 AFL Draft. Before this, Fitzgerald was part of the club, South Adelaide, South Australian National Football League. However, the tall forward was unable to make his AFL debut due to a shoulder injury till 2000.
Ryan’s first professional game went well and looked set for a big and successful career. But he went on to play only nine more games that season. The following year he missed the entire season after injuring his knee which required a reconstruction. In 2002, Fitzgerald was traded to Adelaide Crows where he only played eight games for the team. He retired from the game altogether after suffering from another ACL injury.
When Did Ryan James Fitzgerald Start His Journey In The Entertainment Field?
Following his unsuccessful attempt to play Australian rules football professionally, Ryan James took time to recover from his injury. He then appeared as a contestant in Big Brother Australia 2004. He placed fourth in the reality show and found much fame from his appearance there.
Following this, Fitzgerald became the co-host of the Nova 91.9 Breakfast show in Adelaide and even made occasional appearances on the Australian rules football comedy panel show, Before The Game (AFL). Then in 2005, Ryan James became the co-host of Friday Night Live, a Big Brother Australia show alongside Bree Amer fellow BB4 contestant. The show became a stand-alone project in 2006 and was presented as Friday Night Games.
The former Australian rules footballer left Nova 91.9 Breakfast in 2010 and then joined Nova’s drive show, Fitzy and Wippa. Ryan James Fitzgerald also became the co-host of the talk show, The Project and has worked on a few other shows such as Tractor Monkeys, At Home Alone Together, Hughesy, We Have a Problem, This Week Live, Between the Lines, and many more.
Furthermore, Ryan James has also acted in a few movies and TV shows such as House Husbands and Border Protection Squad. He has also filled in for Sam Pang or Mick Molloy on the Australian Football League-based talk show, The Front Bar.
It is evident that the multi-talented Australian star has tried his hand in many fields and found fame through his work. Moreover, Ryan James Fitzgerald’s net worth has benefited from his success as a television presenter and radio personality.
Who Is Ryan James Fitzgerald Married To?
Talking about his personal life, the radio and television personality is a happily married man and a father of two wonderful boys. Ryan James Fitzgerald’s wife is Belinda Irons who is also known as Belinda Jay and BJ Fitzgerald. The pair have been together for a while and tied the knot in 2008.
Ryan James and his wife, Belinda have welcomed two children, Hewston Fitzgerald and Lennox Fitzgerald who are now growing up well. But even before their little boys were born, the couple was set to welcome a baby girl into their lives.
Fitzgerald and BJ were expecting a daughter in 2008 but sadly only 15 weeks into pregnancy the pair found out that the little one had a severe case of spina bifida. The couple had to make the difficult decision of letting go of their little girl since the case was very severe. Belinda then gave birth and despite being reluctant at first the Fitzgerald couple spent some time with their first child. The popular radio host has stated that this experience brought him and his wife much closer.
Well, years after such a harrowing experience, Ryan and BJ have now welcomed two young boys and are raising them with lots of love. We wish the Fitzgerald family all the love in the world.