Jake Duke’s name has become synonymous with two things in Australian sports media: a rapid rise to becoming one of Fox League’s most recognizable faces, and a relationship scandal that captivated tabloid headlines across the country.
The question of who Jake Duke is dating, or whether he’s dating anyone at all, has followed the presenter since early 2024, when his three-year relationship with Channel Seven reporter Grace Fitzgibbon dramatically imploded. The fallout was messy, public, and persistent. More than two years later, the details remain a subject of fascination, particularly as Duke continues to climb the ranks at Fox Sports while his ex-girlfriend has moved on with her life.
For fans searching for clarity on Jake Duke’s current partner status, the story requires understanding the controversy that reshaped his public image, and what he’s said about it since.
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
In February 2024, news broke that Jake Duke had been dumped by Grace Fitzgibbon, his girlfriend of three years, following a late-night phone call from a female colleague. According to multiple reports, the call came “in the wee hours” from Tiffany Salmond, a New Zealand-based freelance sports reporter who had worked alongside Duke covering NRL games.
Sources close to the couple told Daily Mail Australia that Fitzgibbon, the daughter of former federal Labor minister Joel Fitzgibbon, was left “devastated and heartbroken”. The split became public when Fitzgibbon briefly posted an image of her belongings packed into cardboard boxes on social media, signaling her departure from the Freshwater apartment the couple shared on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Making the timing even more painful: the couple had adopted a kitten named Muffin just days before the breakup.
At the time, representatives for Duke, Fitzgibbon, and Salmond all declined to comment. Wrongdoing was not suggested by any party.
Tiffany Salmond Breaks Her Silence
For over a year, Salmond remained largely quiet about her role in the scandal. That changed in 2025 when she publicly accused Duke of misleading her shortly before she made the call.
Salmond told friends she had no idea Duke was in a relationship when she rang him, claiming Fitzgibbon rarely appeared on Duke’s personal Instagram. She also pointed to a cryptic social media post, a bikini photo captioned with a reference to Ariana Grande’s “Break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored”, that she deleted shortly after news of the split broke.
In a more recent interview, Salmond insisted the infamous call was “nowhere near as scandalous as many believed,” though she did not elaborate on what actually transpired during that conversation. She has also been vocal about the professional fallout, stating she struggled to find television work after being dropped from her reporting role on New Zealand NRL games for Fox Sports, RNZ, and Sky.
Duke’s Career Bounces Back
Despite the personal turmoil, Jake Duke’s professional trajectory has remained firmly upward.
He returned to Fox Sports duties within a week of the split, traveling to Fiji for an NRL pre-season match between the Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm. The network clearly viewed him as a valuable asset, internally regarded as a “golden boy”, and his on-air presence continued to expand.
By 2026, Duke was hosting major events including the Dally M Awards Red Carpet Show and the Monday night program “Face-To-Face” alongside Yvonne Sampson. He also hosts the “Refuse to Lose” podcast, a platform for athletes to discuss social issues, and was named Sports Media Person of the Year at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports Awards in November 2023.
A proud Kamilaroi man, Duke has built a reputation not just as a presenter but as an advocate for Indigenous issues and reconciliation. His journey from a 19-year-old cadet journalist to one of the most prominent faces in rugby league media is genuinely impressive, a fact that makes the tabloid drama surrounding his personal life all the more jarring.
Has Jake Duke Found Love Again?
The short answer: there is no confirmed public information about Jake Duke’s current relationship status.
Unlike his ex-girlfriend Grace Fitzgibbon, who was reported to have found romance again after sharing photos with a man known as “Az,” Duke has kept his personal life notably private since the 2024 scandal.
Whether that’s a deliberate strategy to avoid further tabloid scrutiny or simply a reflection of his focus on work remains unclear. What is evident is that Duke has chosen not to publicly discuss his dating life, and no credible reports have surfaced linking him to a new partner.
For now, the most accurate answer to “Who is Jake Duke’s partner?” is that he appears to be single, or at least successfully keeping any relationship out of the public eye.
The Bigger Picture
The Jake Duke partner saga raises uncomfortable questions about the intersection of sports media, personal privacy, and the relentless appetite for scandal in Australian tabloid culture. A late-night phone call, the contents of which remain disputed, became national news. A relationship ended. Careers were affected. And years later, the women involved are still being asked about it while Duke largely avoids the topic.
For readers searching for answers about Jake Duke’s love life, the takeaway is this: the most dramatic chapter appears to be behind him. Whether a new partner exists is something only Duke and his inner circle know, and given the scrutiny he’s already endured, it’s understandable why he might keep it that way.
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