Kiko Matthews Biography – Kiko Matthews Wiki
Kiko Matthews is a British adventurer and former teacher. She is known as the partner of Carl Hayman who is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at tighthead prop. He has also played for the Highlanders in Super Rugby, Otago in the NPC, and Newcastle Falcons in the English Premiership, as well as making 45 appearances for New Zealand at the international level. announced his retirement from professional rugby in January 2015, aged 35. In November 2021, in an interview, he revealed his diagnosis with early-onset dementia.
On March 22, 2018, she became the fastest female to row the Atlantic, alone and without support. She rowed the 3284 miles from La Gomera to Port St. Charles, Barbados in 49 days 7 hours, and 15 minutes. Her average speed was 2.2 knots. She achieved the Fastest female solo row across the Atlantic on the Trade Winds I route (open-class) and Fastest female solo row across the Atlantic on the Trade Winds I route titles. She took over a week off the previous record held since 2002 by Anne Quemere. This achievement earned her the Guinness World Record of “fastest female solo row across the Atlantic on the Trade Winds route 1.”
Through sponsorship of her world record attempt, she had already raised over £105,000 for King’s College Hospital by December 15, 2018, for the assistance and treatment she got in the facility.
She grew up in Herefordshire. In 2009, she had a nearly fatal pituitary tumor, which resulted in Cushing’s disease. She was treated at King’s College Hospital and had to undergo neurosurgery. In August 2017, she had another tumor, which occurred while she was training for the Atlantic crossing. Matthews started out as a science teacher and chose to take a different life path after her first experience of Cushing’s Disease. She is passionate about the environment and community and the following year in 2019 she went on to cycle 6900 km around the entire coast of the UK engaging communities in 78 beach cleans and removing 3500 kg of ocean waste.
She is the author of her book, Kiko: Breaking the Atlantic Rowing Record After Brain Surgery.
Kiko Matthews Age
She was born in 1982 in the United Kingdom.
Kiko Matthews Partner
She is in a relationship with Carl Hayman. He is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at tighthead prop. Hayman has previously played for the Highlanders in Super Rugby, Otago in the NPC, and Newcastle Falcons in the English Premiership, as well as making 45 appearances for New Zealand at the international level. They have a daughter together.
After her partner’s diagnosis, she offered to provide support to him after she also underwent a life-threatening disease. According to an interview with The Bounce, Kiko Matthews met Hayman just as he was finishing his ill-fated coaching stint in Pau, a role that would end in controversy after he had an altercation with his players. She took an immediate liking to him but noticed a lot of what she described as “unnecessary” drinking.
“I put it down to his recent split from his wife and leaving his career. There was obviously a lot going on [and] I wanted to work with and help him to see what the cause of the drinking was as he was a lovely guy. Further down the line, after various conversations, it made sense to try and to work out the fogginess and the headaches,” she says. Matthews set about learning as much about her partner’s dementia as she could, to help him manage the symptoms.
“It is confronting but… we can now plan for the future with this diagnosis in mind and it’s important that Carl, who has worked very hard for 20 years and now has a serious injury, as a result, gets to enjoy his life. It’s sad to think that you work really hard for your team and country and then end up permanently and progressively brain-damaged,” she says.
“We can plan our life. We can say it’s going to get to 10 years before it gets to the point where we need to be in a stable home and where we don’t need to have a stressful work life. We’ve got to think about these sorts of things a bit earlier than most people our age, but we’re thinking about how we live our lives now and what we can get from our life now.”
The couple is hopeful that advancements in medical science and therapies will slow down dementia’s inexorable march. Hayman no longer drinks. Instead, he trains for ironman events – he has completed two – and manages his work-life balance as the owner of a small charter boat company in New Plymouth.
Kiko Matthews Child
She has one child with her partner Hayman. Her daughter Genevieve Ocean was born on February 12, 2021. Her partner has three other kids from his first marriage to his ex-wife Natalie Crook.
Kiko Mathews Parents
She is the daughter of Genevieve Matthews, who is a nurse-turned-teacher, and her father Paddy. She also has a brother, Robin. Her family resides in Herefordshire.
Kiko Matthews Health
She was brought up in Herefordshire. In 2009, she had a nearly fatal pituitary tumor, which resulted in Cushing’s syndrome. The rare disease causes dreadful symptoms, including memory loss, muscle-wasting, osteoporosis, end-stage diabetes, insomnia, and psychosis. She was treated at King’s College Hospital and had to undergo neurosurgery. In August 2017, she had another tumor, which occurred while she was training for the Atlantic crossing.
Kiko Matthews Instagram
She is on Instagram at her handle @kikomatthews.
