Ellidy Pullin, the widow of former Olympic snowboarder Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, finds it hard to comprehend it’s been almost four years since her husband’s death.
“Chumpy” Pullin, a three-time Olympian and two-time snowboard cross world champion, died at the age of just 32 on July 8, 2020.
The high-profile sportsman was spearfishing off the Gold Coast’s Palm Beach when he drowned, found unresponsive on the ocean floor in an incident that shocked Australians.
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Through the wonders of modern medicine, Ellidy Pullin was able to have a child 18 months later through IVF and a sperm retrieval process.
Her daughter Minnie Alex Pullin helped her through the grieving process as she dealt with the shocking and sudden loss of her husband.
Now Ellidy, a model and author, is finally at a point where she feels she could consider another long-term partner in her life, as she told the Gold Coast Bulletin in a wide-ranging interview.
Ellidy also has the option of having another baby with the help of her former husband, but said that prospect is unlikely.
“I have sperm if I wanted another Chumpy bubba,” the 31-year-old said. “But I don’t think I will.
“I have Minnie and she is just so perfect and so much like him.
“She is everything I dreamed of and being her mother has done so much for me, but I don’t think I need to do it alone again.
“I do see myself having a baby one day with someone else, maybe in like five years’ time, but I can’t really see myself getting married.
“I could definitely be with someone solid and long-term, but I’ll always be Ellidy Pullin.”
Along with Minnie, Ellidy has another treasured family member, a kelpie-cross called Rummi.
“Chumpy” and Rummi were just about inseparable and now the pup is rarely far from Ellidy’s side.
Ellidy said she has had the odd holiday romance, but feels her family of three is enough right now.
“I’m not at the point yet to be dating someone,” she said. “I’ve had little random flings that were 100 per cent not going anywhere, just little holiday things.
“I don’t know why, when I’m on holiday I guess it’s a break from reality. What goes on in Bali can stay in Bali. But I couldn’t imagine bringing anyone home.
“Right now I’m just really happy with the three of us – me, Minnie and Rummi.”
Rummi was also crucial in helping Ellidy deal with the unspeakable tragedy of losing her husband.
And she knows they both need to find ways to move forward with their lives.
“(Rummi) was the reason that I would get up in the morning,” she said of those dark early days following Chumpy’s death.
“She’s a kelpie, I couldn’t skip her walks, and it’s what kept me going.
“We would get up at 5am and we would go up and down the beach for an hour, she was my therapy and my meditation. She kept me grounded when everything felt so surreal.
“Chumpy loved Rummi so much, I used to feel like the third wheel with them, but now she never leaves my side.
“I know there is a part of her still waiting for Chumpy to come back and it makes me so sad because I know exactly what that feels like.
“I’m trying to help her now in the way she helped me.
“We will never stop loving him, we will never stop missing him, but we both have to keep living.”