Olympian Mack Horton is currently facing the brutality of SAS Australia vs England, but he’s also started his most challenging chapter yet: fatherhood!
The 29-year-old swimmer welcomed his first child, son Gideon, with his nurse wife, Ella, in January, and it’s been a whirlwind few months since.
“I’m loving [fatherhood]. We’re four months in. Sleep’s going okay,” he exclusively tells New Idea.
“I don’t know what I used to do with all my time before, to be honest. The days are longer and they’re non-stop.
“I almost struggle to remember SAS or even anything pre-baby, it’s like this point in time where whatever happened before then doesn’t land in your brain or matter anymore.”
Though SAS Australia is only just airing, he filmed it way back in July 2025, in the early days of Ella’s pregnancy, so no wonder it feels like a blur to Mack now.
But, no doubt, the sleepless nights during the brutal military-style bootcamp helped to prepare him for the (somewhat different) nights of interrupted sleep as a father.
Mack had an unfortunate start on SAS Australia vs England when he wet himself during the first 10 minutes, after being ambushed in a car and black bagged.
Along with his 13 co-stars, Mack was led to a bridge, but it all appeared to be too much, and Mack wet himself in front of his co-stars and the instructors.
However, speaking to New Idea, Mack playfully said that he wanted to “rebrand” the moment, insisting it was no accident out of fear, but purposeful, given he was desperate for the bathroom.
“I’m rebranding it from an accident! It’s a defiant wee,” he joked.
“I was busting. It was day one, we’re in the desert, it’s 45 degrees. So I’ve been sitting as much as we could just to prepare myself for whatever was coming.
“And, you know, everybody is around the bus. I think I put my hand up at one point, hoping someone would take me to the loo. No one did.
“So, I thought bugger it. I’ve got to get it done otherwise I’m going to burst my bladder.’
Who is Mack Horton?
Mack Horton is a retired Australian swimmer who made his mark early, winning gold in the 1500m at the 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Championships before going on to become one of the country’s most celebrated distance freestylers.
His career highlight came at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he claimed gold in the 400m freestyle — becoming the first male swimmer from Victoria to win individual Olympic gold.
He added four Commonwealth Games gold medals to his haul across a decorated career that also included multiple World Championship and relay medals.
Off the back of his famous 2019 podium protest, he became equally well known as a fierce advocate for clean sport.
Which Australian swimmer refused to stand on the podium?
That would be Mack Horton!
During the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Australian swimmer famously called Chinese rival Sun Yang a “drug cheat” multiple times, in reference to his previous three-month anti-doping ban, sparking a significant international sporting controversy.
Then, at the 2019 World Championships in South Korea, Horton refused to share the podium with the Chinese swimmer after the 400m freestyle medal ceremony, in a silent protest against doping in sport.
Sun Yang was embroiled in a long-running doping controversy and was later handed a ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The formerly banned swimmer has since returned to competitive swimming.
Why did Mack Horton retire?
Horton announced his retirement in January 2024, six months before the Paris Olympics.
“I dearly wanted to swim in Paris, but the hunger wasn’t there,” he told Swimming Australia at the time.
“I always want to give my all, and I am not someone who just wants to make up the numbers, so this is the right time to step away.”
He walked away as one of the most respected figures the sport has produced.
Who is Mack Horton married to?
Mack married his childhood sweetheart, Ella Walter, in September 2023.
The couple has been together since 2015 and got engaged in January 2022.
Horton has described Ella, a nurse, as “the secret to his swimming success”.
They generally keep their relationship out of the spotlight, but she often features on his Instagram page.
Does Mack Horton have any kids?
Yes — Mack and Ella welcomed their first child, a son named Gideon, in January 2026.
“We are so grateful and thrilled to share the birth of our beautiful boy Gideon 🩵,” the couple shared on a post to Instagram announcing his birth.
What is Mack Horton doing now?
Mack is about to take on a very different challenge — SAS Australia 2026.
He’ll join fellow Olympian Emily Seebohm, cricketer Brad Hodge, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Neighbours star Ryan Moloney, Jessika Power, and Axle Whitehead as part of the Australian celebrity lineup.
They’ll go up against a British cast including Love Island‘s Dani Dyer and Gabby Allen, rugby player Ben Cohen, cricketer Graeme Swann, and Gladiator star Toby Olubi — with chief instructor Billy Billingham back to put them all through their paces.
Read everything we know about the series here.
