NRL 2020: Yvonne Sampson breaks silence on Cameron Smith rumour

Yvonne Sampson breaks silence on lewd comments Rumours of affair with NRL champion Cameron Smith.

The false rumors have been circulating since 2018, but Smith and Fox Sports host Sampson refused to address them for nearly three years in hopes they would go away.

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However, Smith has opened up about the saga in his new autobiography, describing the toll the nasty rumours took on his marriage.

“Honestly, if I was going to have an affair – which I never would have – why would I do it with someone as famous as her? And in my own sport?” Smith wrote in an excerpt from his new book.

“It was cruel… rumors that were completely false. When I told my wife Barb, she was devastated. She was devastated.

“I could handle it, but I was worried about her and Yvonne, who has been in our sport for a long time and we all know how much respect she is.

“She (Yvonne) was about to get married and it was so sad. The first time I interviewed her after that, I felt sorry for her.”

On Sunday, Sampson also broke his silence to denounce the “malicious” rumors.

“My husband and I were made aware of these absurd and baseless rumours when they surfaced three years ago,” Sampson told News Corp.

“These are completely false rumours. These malicious rumours have nothing to do with my life, my career as a journalist or my love of rugby.”

Sampson, who married Channel Nine journalist Chris O’Keefe in October 2018, said she contacted Smith’s wife Barbara when the rumours began circulating.

Smith also revealed how he was offered the chance to address the rumours on a Fox Sports programme in 2018, but refused to give them more oxygen.

Smith addresses NRL gift controversy

In the revealing book, Smith also discusses the nasty controversy surrounding expensive gifts given to him and his wife by then NRL CEO Todd Greenberg before his 400th game.

Fans exploded after it was revealed the NRL had gifted Barbara a ring worth tens of thousands of dollars, with many believing the money would have been better spent on junior rugby league.

“It was argued that the money could have been better spent on grassroots football,” Smith wrote.

“I couldn’t believe what our game had become. We had crossed the line. And Barb was devastated.

“Worse still, we were criticised for taking money from where it should have been spent – ​​as if we were stealing money from junior clubs.

“Things were getting out of control and it forced me, at the end of the 2019 season, to ask myself some serious questions.

“Should I give up gambling? Or continue gambling and subject my family to this unwanted surveillance.”

Smith said his wife wanted to return the ring, but she ultimately kept it and wore it to the 2020 grand final.

In the meantime, Smith insists he has yet to make a decision about retirement despite widespread speculation.

The 37-year-old made a record 430 NRL appearances but appears to have claimed in his book he was no closer to knowing whether it was the right time or not.

He referred to NRL greats such as Billy Slater, Jonathan Thurston and Paul Gallen and their insistence on knowing when the time was right.

But Smith said he never had that moment where he woke up and said, “I just can’t do it.”

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