Ben Ainslie's very public kiss for TV girl Georgie Thompson
TO the rest of the world, superstar sailor Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful Olympic yachtsman of all time.
But to his new love, TV sports broadcaster Georgie Thompson, he is “Popeye the sailor man”.
Four-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben has been spotted navigating his way around New York with Georgie, the ex-girlfriend of TV presenter Declan Donnelly.
The couple, both 36, kissed and walked hand in hand through the Big Apple’s West Village, stopping off for breakfast at The Standard Hotel in the fashionable Meatpacking District.
Sir Ben had been competing in the Argo Cup Race off Bermuda, where he narrowly missed out on winning the King Edward VII Gold Cup for a third time.
But the wind appeared to be back in his sails when he met up with his new girlfriend, who is filming in the US. She has worked as a presenter for Sky Sports and for the Fox network in the US.
Ms Thompson, who at five foot is a full 12 inches shorter than her new love, has revealed that her pet name for Sir Ben is “Popeye the sailor man”. She said they had known each other for three years.
She added: “We met through friends at an event – and I don’t really know how to describe it. It was a bit of a thunderbolt moment, but a thunderbolt that took years before it became anything real.
“We were in different places, but then in April the stars aligned and it made sense to be together, and we haven’t looked back since.
“It’s very special. He makes me very happy.”
Ms Thompson started dating I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! presenter Dec, 38, in January 2009. The relationship ended after two years but they have remained friends.
The previous paramour of Sir Ben, who was knighted after last year’s Olympics, was Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester, 25. She won a silver medal on the same day he won gold at London 2012.