Channel Seven football reporter Mitch Cleary says he is trying to win back fiancée Kate Watts’ trust after admitting he kissed a Collingwood staff member while his partner was pregnant.

The network’s chief AFL reporter has spoken about the impact on his family, saying the incident caused his loved ones ‘incredible stress’.

Cleary and Watts, a Racing.com presenter, welcomed their daughter Sophia in February, three months after the reported kiss during an overseas off-season trip.

‘My only concern from here is for my fiancée and winning back her trust,’ Cleary told the Herald Sun.

‘The whole incident has been completely unfair on her as well as my family and those closest to me.

‘It’s caused incredible stress for my loved ones. It’s not something I ever imagined I would be involved in.’

Mitch Cleary says he is working to regain fiancée Kate Watts’ trust after admitting he kissed a Collingwood staff member 

Watts was pregnant with the couple’s first child when the kiss occurred during an overseas trip 

Cleary publicly apologised for the kiss and said his actions had caused hurt and embarrassment to his family

The Herald Sun reported Cleary was overseas with the Collingwood employee and several players last November when they attended a celebratory night out at a bar.

The pair reportedly met for the first time during the trip, and a Collingwood source confirmed a kiss occurred.

‘A consensual kiss took place during personal time in an off-season trip last year,’ they said. 

‘The staff member regrets the incident and apologises for the impact their actions caused.

‘Rumours circulating online stating that the staff member is a member of the media department are completely false.’

Sources close to Seven said Cleary was remorseful and would face no further action, with the reporter expected to continue featuring in the network’s September AFL coverage.

The controversy became public after Watts reportedly shared an Instagram story naming the staff member.

Her post included a photograph of Cleary at a Legends game beside a sign describing him as the ‘GOAT’, meaning greatest of all time, and was reportedly deleted about an hour later.

A Collingwood source confirmed the kiss occurred during personal time and said the employee regretted the impact of the incident 

Sources close to Seven said Cleary would face no further action and would continue covering this year’s finals

Cleary issued an Instagram apology on September 1, describing the kiss as a ‘terrible error in judgement’. 

He also disputed other claims circulating about the incident.

‘I don’t want to diminish my actions, but most of what has been suggested about the circumstances is not accurate,’ he wrote.

The following morning, Cleary addressed the fallout on the Tradies podcast after co-host Sam McClure asked if he wanted to add to his statement.

‘Yeah, I made a really bad error in judgement on a night out last year and I’m dealing with the consequences of that,’ Cleary said.

‘It’s caused so much hurt and stress and embarrassment to those closest to me, most importantly Kate and my daughter.’

Cleary acknowledged that his work reporting on footballers’ lives meant he needed to address his own actions publicly.

‘We cross over on trades and that sort of thing in terms of the personal lives of people. So it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t come on here and address that I made a major error,’ he added.

McClure said he regarded the situation as a personal matter for Cleary and his family following the statement.

Cleary and Watts became engaged in February 2024 and have been together for about five years. 

Watts is the sister of former Melbourne and Port Adelaide footballer Jack Watts.

– READ MORE: Mitch Cleary scandal twist as fiancée retreats to her parents’ home with their baby: We reveal the big AFL and media names on the Dubai junket where he kissed a Magpies staffer 

– READ MORE: Mitch Cleary couldn’t be protected forever. What unfolded behind closed doors exposes AFL media’s hypocrisy