When Charley Hull walked down the aisle in September 2019, the golf world thought they were watching the start of a new powerhouse duo. She was the Solheim Cup star with a "no-nonsense" attitude; he was Ozzie Smith, a gritty MMA fighter who had just snagged a super-welterweight belt. It felt like a match made in athletic heaven.
But then, things went quiet. Really quiet.
By 2021, the rumors were confirmed: the Charley Hull and Ozzie Smith split was official. They were divorced. Just two years after that lavish ceremony in North Northamptonshire, one of golf’s most high-profile marriages had reached the 18th hole.
Honestly, the way it went down left fans with more questions than answers. There wasn't some messy, public fallout on social media. There were no "leaked" text messages or dramatic legal battles played out in the tabloids. Instead, there was just a sudden absence of photos together and a quiet legal filing. It’s the kind of breakup that makes you realize even the most intense sports stars value their privacy when the game is over.
The Short-Lived Marriage of the Cage and the Course
Let’s look at the timeline because it’s actually pretty wild. Charley was only 23 when she tied the knot. She had been dating Ozzie for about two years before he popped the question on Christmas Day in 2018. At the time, they were everywhere. She was at ringside cheering for him during his Impact Fight UK 14 championship win, and he was often spotted on the bag or in the gallery during her LPGA events.
They seemed to "get" each other's lifestyle. You've got two people whose entire lives revolve around peak physical performance and high-stress competition. You’d think that would be the glue, right?
But the Charley Hull and Ozzie Smith split proved that the pressures of two professional athletic careers can be a double-edged sword. While Smith helped Hull with her fitness and focus—something she openly credited him for back in 2019—the constant travel and the sheer intensity of their individual worlds eventually took a toll.
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Why Did They Actually Break Up?
If you’re looking for a "smoking gun," you won’t find one. To this day, neither Charley nor Ozzie has gone on record with a specific "he said, she said" list of grievances.
However, looking back at the 2021-2022 period, it’s clear Charley was going through a lot of personal evolution. She has since been very open about her ADHD diagnosis and the massive amounts of anxiety she dealt with during those years. In some later interviews, she hinted that the divorce was a "traumatic" period that forced her to grow up fast.
Basically, the split was described as mutual and amicable. That’s the official line. But anyone who’s followed Charley knows she’s a free spirit—the kind of person who "rips darts" (smokes) on the fairway and interacts with fans like they’re old mates. Maybe the structure of a young marriage just didn't fit the whirlwind that is her life.
Moving On: Life After the Split
The most fascinating part of the Charley Hull and Ozzie Smith split isn't the breakup itself, but what happened next.
Charley didn't just fade away into a post-divorce slump. She actually started playing some of the best golf of her life. In October 2021, just as the divorce was being finalized or had just finished, she went out and won on the Ladies European Tour. Since then, she’s become a global icon—not just for her game, but for her personality.
And her dating life? It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since Ozzie.
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- Lee Tomlin: She was linked to the former Premier League footballer for a bit. They were seen playing golf together (obviously), but it fizzled out pretty quickly.
- Gaz Beadle: This was the one that surprised everyone. In early 2024, she was dating the Geordie Shore star. They looked happy, but by June, reports surfaced that it was "too hard" to maintain given their busy schedules.
- The "Mystery" Boyfriend: As of late 2025 and moving into 2026, Charley has a new man. She hasn't named him, but she’s mentioned him in interviews—most notably about a bet they had where every five birdies she made earned them an extra day on holiday.
What We Can Learn From the Hull-Smith Split
The biggest takeaway here is about the reality of "power couples" in sports. It looks great on Instagram, but the logistics are a nightmare. You’ve got a golfer who is in a different country every week and an MMA fighter who is locked in a gym for eight hours a day.
Charley has mentioned that she’s learned to keep her private life a bit more "private" these days, taking a page out of Rory McIlroy’s book after his own public relationship dramas. It seems the Charley Hull and Ozzie Smith split taught her that when your life is already under a microscope, you don't need to hand the public the lens.
Practical Insights for Fans and Athletes
If you're following the career of a top-tier athlete like Hull, keep these points in mind:
- Success doesn't require a "perfect" personal life. Charley won big events while her marriage was ending. You can be struggling at home and still be a beast on the course.
- Privacy is a choice. Just because someone is famous doesn't mean they owe the world an explanation for a divorce.
- Growth often follows "failure." Hull’s post-divorce transformation—focusing on her mental health and ADHD—has made her a more relatable and successful player.
Charley is now living in Sunningdale, driving her BMW X5, and seemingly very happy with her current "birdie bet" boyfriend. The chapter with Ozzie Smith is firmly in the rearview mirror, serving as a reminder that sometimes, the best thing for two talented people is to just go their separate ways.
To keep up with Charley's progress on the 2026 LPGA Tour, you can follow the live leaderboards on the official LPGA website or check her social media for the occasional "no-filter" update on her life.