Dylan Alcott and Chantelle Otten are fast becoming one of our favourite Australian power couples. He’s one of the country’s greatest tennis players and she’s an empowering sexologist and author.
WATCH: Dylan Alcott wins Wimbledon’s first-ever Quad Wheelchair Singles match
On paper, their careers couldn’t be more opposite, but in reality both of these powerhouses are committed to removing stigmas that exist in our everyday lives.
Dylan through his work as an activist for the disabled (including his Ability Fest, the country’s first and only completely inclusive, fully accessible music festival) and she in her work as an award-winning sexologist.
They have navigated a range of challenges, including periods of long-distance and lockdown in Melbourne, and have continued to go from strength to strength.
They’re also quite candid about their relationship, aiming to help remove the stigma surrounding romance and sex for people with disabilities.
The cute couple met when Chantelle attended the launch for Dylan’s book, Able, at the tail-end of 2018.
She was a plus-one for a friend and was begrudgingly dragged along to the event.
“That night I was dealing with PMS, my hair was slicked back and I was wearing an old t-shirt and sneakers,” Chantelle told Mia Freedman on her podcast No Filter.
“I think it was just, you know, one of those days where you’re just like, I am mopey as. And I was so looking forward to going to dinner, but we had to go to this book signing.”
“I looked across the room, and I saw him and I just went, ‘Ah, that’s my person’. That’s the person I’m going to be with for the rest of my life,” she divulged.
Despite literally having the best communication skills for this type of situation, through her work as a sexologist, Chantelle found herself shying away opting to “stare” at Dylan rather than speak to him that night.
However, the two then connected on Instagram and planned to get a drink. Their casual drink turned into a 12-hour first date.
“He was just so beautiful to look at and the way that he spoke. And I think I just recognised that what he was doing was so similar to what I was doing. I really felt like I had met my match at that point,” Chantelle explained on No Filter.
While Chantelle was actively using her work to remove stigmas surrounding sex, Dylan’s activism was working to remove stigma surrounding those who live with disabilities.
Chantelle had also worked with many clients with disabilities in her sexology work.
After their first date, Chantelle briefly returned to Holland, where her family are from and things cooled down for a minute. However, things picked right back up when she got home – she moved into Dylan’s house about a week after her return.
Then, they began to tackle the stigma around disability together.
“A lot of people think that people with a disability don’t have sex but I’m having the best sex of my life and it’s important for me to say that,” she has said.
“Dylan and I are quite private but it’s important to get the word out. For me, working with people and having them know I’m in a relationship with someone with a disability is great.”
Dylan also speaks about the stigma in order to dismantle it.
“So many of the 4.4 million people in Australia with a disability struggle with dating and sex,” he said in a chat with Stellar.
“I know that when I was a teenager I wondered, ‘Can I do it?’ and ‘How do I do it?’ I questioned whether anyone would love me because I’m in a wheelchair.
“I want to change the misconception that (disabled) people can’t have sex or be in relationships or fall in love. The only way to destigmatise it is to talk about it.”
The couple were living together during various lockdowns in Melbourne – which they saw as the perfect chance to expand their family.
“Sauce Alcott. Proud mum and dad,” Chantelle wrote on Instagram alongside pictures of their dachshund puppy, Sauce.
Sauce Alcott now has his own Instagram and is a star in his own right.
He stays in Melbourne, mostly with Chantelle, while Dylan’s career sees him travelling the world. The Paralympian is one of Australia’s highest-performing athletes.
An absolute champion tennis player, Dylan actually got his start in wheelchair basketball.
He won both a gold and silver medal with the Australian wheelchair basketball team, the Rollers, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics, respectively.
He competed in wheelchair tennis at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he won two gold medals. He was also named Australian Paralympian of the Year in 2016.
After winning his second Wimbledon quad wheelchair singles championship in July 2021, he went on to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Dylan announced his retirement after the 2022 Australian Open.
“I feel like I’ve done everything I need to do on the tennis court,” he said at a press conference. “It’s been an incredible ride and I think the time has come to move onto other things that I do.”
Not only is he competing for his eighth and final Quad Wheelchair title, the star athlete has just been awarded the country’s highest honour: Australian of the Year 2022.
Right by his side at the ceremony in Canberra was Chantelle, who shared a gushing tribute to her man on social media.
“I am bursting with pride. Dylan you are so deserving,” she wrote.
“Your passion, determination and strong work ethic inspires me daily, and I’m so excited, as I have been every single day of this relationship, to see you change the world. And you’re doing a bloody good job so far!
“I adore being your partner and will be cheering you on every single day, screaming your name with the rest of team Alcott and Aussies alike.
You’ve already made Australia so proud, let’s have fun with this year.”
We can’t wait to see what comes next for this couple.
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