Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe has vowed to bounce back after his personal finances took a hit in the global financial crisis.

He reluctantly confirmed he recently suffered serious cashflow problems after shedding lucrative sponsorship deals to focus on his university studies, News Ltd newspapers say.

When broadcaster Alan Jones became aware of his friend’s situation, he rang Westpac boss Gail Kelly to seek her help to restructure Thorpe’s financial affairs, News Ltd says.

Thorpe has now streamlined his interests, declaring he wants to lead “a happy and simple life”.

“Like my sporting career, one of my strengths is my resilience to bounce back from any setback,” he said.
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The recently launched online auction website, Ziggybid scored a coup when it signed up Australia’s greatest Olympian, Ian Thorpe.

The Thorpedo, a five-time Olympic gold medal swimmer, is highly sought after for endorsements and says he opted to go with Ziggybid because the concept puts control in the hands of consumers and enables them to enter the property market at a time when every dollar counts.

He told Lending Central, “I receive many expressions of interest regarding sponsorship but like any brand I’ve worked with, I have to be passionate and engaged. This involves understanding the product or service, the marketplace, the customers and how I can bring value to the brand.
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Former Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe is behind a novel way to help Australians find the best home loan.

Mr Thorpe is the brand ambassador and a shareholder for a new online home loan service - www.ziggybid.com.au.

Users will be able to identify the best bid through Ziggy’s rating system that simplifies confusing cost structures.
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