Who is Lidia Thorpe's husband? What we know about her partner
Who is Lidia Thorpe's husband? The Australian politician is not married. Her past romances include climate advocate Gavan McFadzean, which ended in 2022 after news emerged of her brief affair with ex-bikie boss Dean Martin. Since then, she has been quietly dating James Nicholson, an electronics engineer seven years her junior.
Source: UGC
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Key takeaways
- Lidia Thorpe is not married as of mid-2025, though she is currently dating James Nicholson, a Wurundjeri electronics engineer seven years her junior.
- Her past relationships include dating climate advocate Gavan McFadzean and a brief, controversial involvement with ex-bikie boss Dean Martin.
- Thorpe and Nicholson met in 2022 at an Aboriginal festival and have maintained a low-profile yet politically active relationship, often appearing together at protests and public events.
- Thorpe is a mother of three and grandmother of four, having become a single parent at age 17 and publicly spoken about challenges like domestic violence and financial hardship.
- As of 2025, Lidia Thorpe serves as an independent senator for Victoria, having left the Greens in 2023 to focus on Indigenous rights and Black sovereignty.
Lidia Thorpe's profile summary
| Full name | Lidia Alma Thorpe |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | August 18, 1973 |
| Age | 51 (as of July 2025) |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Place of birth | Carlton, Victoria, Australia |
| Current residence | Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height in feet | 5'6" |
| Height in centimetres | 167 |
| Weight in pounds | 130 |
| Weight in kilograms | 59 |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Eye colour | Dark brown |
| Mother | Marjorie Thorpe |
| Father | Roy Illingworth |
| Siblings | One |
| Relationship status | Dating |
| Partner | James Nicholson |
| Children | Three |
| School | Fitzroy High School, Collingwood High School |
| College | Swinburne University of Technology |
| Profession | Politician |
| @senatorthorpe | |
| @SenatorThorpe |
Who is Lidia Thorpe's husband?
As of mid-2025, Lidia Thorpe is unmarried. While she has been in various romantic relationships in the past, none have resulted in marriage. Currently, she is dating a man many years younger than her.
Who is Lidia Thorpe dating?
Lidia Thorpe is dating James Nicholson, an electronics engineer and proud Wurundjeri man, seven years her junior. The couple reportedly met in 2022 at an Aboriginal festival in Shepperton, Victoria, and have since maintained a low-profile relationship.
Nicholson, who previously served in the navy, has since taken up activism, attending protests and wearing slogans that support Indigenous rights. The pair have featured at public events, including Mardi Gras, where they dressed in themed outfits promoting Aboriginal sovereignty.
Source: Original
Their bond appears strong and politically aligned. A source told MailOnline that Nicholson even carried a baseball bat in his car for Thorpe's protection, citing threats from extremist groups.
He never really spoke about his Aboriginal heritage or preached about it, but that all changed when Lidia came along. He started buying T-shirts with slogans like 'Land Back', 'Always, Always Will Be' and 'Voice Treaty Truth' and attending protests and marches.
They continued:
When he started going out with her, he drove around with a baseball bat in his boot because she's a hunted woman. They are after her.
A look at Lidia Thorpe's dating history
Before her current relationship with James Nicholson, Lidia Thorpe's relationship history featured personal and political turbulence. Her long-term relationship with Gavan McFadzean, a respected climate change advocate and manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation, ended after he discovered her affair with Dean Martin.
Lidia Thorpe and Gavan McFadzean's relationship
Lidia and Gavan McFadzean dated from 2019 until 2022. She first publicly acknowledged him during her maiden Senate speech in 2020, introducing him as her partner:
I also pay my respects to the other First Nations MPs who have walked this road before me. And I thank my sisters Arika and Meriki, my partner Gavan.
Their relationship ended abruptly after media reports revealed Thorpe's brief affair with former Rebels bikie boss Dean Martin. According to MailOnline, McFadzean reportedly learned of the affair through national media and expressed his heartbreak in a Facebook post, writing:
When you find out via national media that your partner was having an affair.😥
Friends and colleagues rallied around him, offering support during the fallout.
Lidia Thorpe and Dean Martin's affair
Lidia Thorpe's brief relationship with Dean Martin, the former president of the Rebels bikie gang in Victoria, sparked significant political controversy in 2022. The two reportedly met through Blak activism and "briefly dated" in early 2021.
At the time, Thorpe was serving on a parliamentary law enforcement committee that received confidential briefings on organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Thorpe later claimed in the Senate that she had only "kissed once at a rally" and that the Greens party lawyers advised her to describe the encounter as dating.
She insisted she had no knowledge of Martin's background when they met and denied sharing any sensitive information.
Does Lidia Thorpe have kids?
Lidia Thorpe has three children. She became a single parent at the age of 17 and has spoken publicly about the challenges she faced, including domestic violence and financial hardship. Lidia is also a grandmother to four grandchildren.
FAQs
- Who is Lidia Thorpe's boyfriend? Lidia Thorpe is currently dating James Nicholson, an electronics engineer and a Wurundjeri man seven years her junior. Their relationship became public in 2024, following past scrutiny over her former ties to controversial figures.
- Who was Lidia Thorpe's first husband? Thorpe has never publicly named a husband. She became a single mother at age 17 and has referred to her children's fathers as coming from "relationships that never lasted."
- Who is Lidia Thorpe's ex-boyfriend? Thorpe was previously in a relationship with Gavan McFadzean, a climate advocate, which ended in 2022. She was also briefly linked to Dean Martin, a former Rebels bikie boss, which sparked political controversy due to her committee role on law enforcement.
- How many kids does Lidia Thorpe have? Thorpe has three children and has spoken openly about raising them as a single parent since her teens.
- How many grandchildren does Lidia have? As of the last update in April 2022, Lidia Thorpe was a grandmother to four.
- Is Robbie Thorpe related to Lidia Thorpe? Robbie Thorpe is her uncle and a well-known Aboriginal activist and broadcaster.
- What is Lidia Thorpe's ethnicity? Lidia Thorpe has mixed ethnicity. She is of DjabWurrung, Gunnai, and Gunditjmara descent, with additional English and Irish ancestry.
- What is Lidia Thorpe doing now? As of 2025, Thorpe serves as an independent senator for Victoria, advocating for Indigenous rights and Black sovereignty after resigning from the Greens in 2023.
Wrapping up
If you are wondering who Lidia Thorpe's husband is, then know that she is not married. She was previously in a relationship with climate advocate Gavan McFadzean, which ended in 2022 amid political controversy. Since 2022, she has been quietly dating James Nicholson, an electronics engineer seven years her junior.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
