Mary Carillo Has Question Over Her Sexuality By Fans After An Unsuccessful Married Life; Also Considered To Be An Avid Tennis Reporter

Once risen to the height of fame, a celebrated figure becomes the center of attraction. Their life becomes like the open book to their fans who seek even a tiny detail about their idol's lives. So has come upon Mary Carillo's life where her fans have questioned her sexuality.

Unsuccessful Married Life With her Partner: Is She a Lesbian?

It was in the year 1983 when Mary Carillo got married to Bill Bowden. She reminiscences how the love for Bill was developed as,

“It wasn’t one of those love-at-first-sight deals,”  “We were good friends for a long time. One morning I woke up and looked at him differently, sort of, ‘Hey, he’s kind of cool looking.’ ”

The pair has two children- a son named Anthony and a daughter named Rachel. However, in 1998, she parted with her partner of fifteen years.

Mary Carillo along with her husband and children in the pool.(Married Wiki).

The reason behind parting their ways has not been revealed. Currently, Mary Carillo is single, and Bill is not dating nor seeing anyone as well. Many people assume Mary to be a lesbian but she has not gone on record to talk about her sexuality.

It has not been cleared out if she is a lesbian or not but since a long period, she is on the side of the gay and lesbian community. Sometimes she was seen with Julie Foudy- a professional soccer midfielder, which made people think that she must be a lesbian too. The question of her sexuality is just a rumor and a gossip because there is no proper base for pointing at her identity.

Julie Foudy and Mary Carillo together at the 33rd Annual Salute To Women In Sports (2012). (Photo Credit: zimbio.com).

Some people mistook her for being a lesbian because of her heavy masculine voice and the way she looked but it’s senseless how one could accuse someone based on their outer appearance as a book can never be judged by its cover.

More about Mary Carillo:

Mary, a former tennis player who was once ranked as number 33 as a singles player, also won the French Open mixed doubles title in 1977 with teammate and hometown friend John McEnroe. It was in 1980 that she put an end to her sports career. The reason behind this was her knee injury. She recalls this incident  in her life as,

“It was no tragedy,”

She further adds,

“It wasn’t like I’d left behind this great legacy.”       

Mary Carillo playing in full spirit at the Lionel Cup (1977). (Photo Credit: gettyimages.com).

At that very time, USA Network had just started broadcasting women’s tennis, and a producer invited her to do reporting for it. She has established herself as an avid reporter till date, for which she has gathered a lot of appreciation.

“Mary breaks the boundaries of tennis commentary,” says colleague Tim Ryan. “With the exception of Bud Collins, she’s unique in her forthrightness, candor and knowledge of the game.She’s my idol,” adds NBC commentator Chris Evert. “She’s blunt and abrasive, but she’s honest. I’m trying to be as good as she is.”

For her notable work she was named Broadcaster of the Year by the Women's Tennis Association in 1981 and 1985, In 2010, she was the first woman to receive the Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism. 

She also covered the Winter Olympics once. She expresses this opportunity in a humble way as:

 “They weren’t hiring me because of my tennis expertise,” she says. “I’m not an ex-champion. I can’t give the perspective of the superstar. The ultimate compliment to me is that they think I’m a good reporter who can do the job. That’s what I’ve been fighting.”

The tennis player turned reporter has covered the Australian Open 2018. During her reporting for Australian Open, she also interviewed the veteran tennis player Margaret Court, who holds the record for most Grand Slam titles ever with a total of 64, who is now famous for opposing gay marriage in her country Australia. Mary, on the other hand, has always stood for LBGT community.

She is very successful as a tennis reporter in her career. As a consequence, she earns a handsome amount of salary, and this has contributed her to accumulate the estimated net worth of $5 million.