She may have accepted a £50million divorce settlement, but the former Mrs Greg Norman is clearly not yet ready to go quietly. And squarely in her sights is the golfer’s new love, former Wimbledon champion Chris Evert, whom she accuses of betrayal and blatantly pursuing her husband. “She came after him. I have never seen anything like it,” said Laura Norman, who since divorcing the man known as the Great White Shark has reverted to her maiden name of Andrassy.
“I would never have thought anyone would be so aggressive (in pursuing him) in front of me like I didn’t exist. It just turned into a fiasco. I really don’t have a lot of respect for her as a woman. She is not a great person.”
Miss Andrassy, 57, said she had always considered Miss Evert a friend – until she chased after Norman and then flaunted their love affair.
She also claimed that she would still be married to her husband of 25 years if it had not been for the tennis star.
Speaking for the first time since her reported £50million divorce deal, Miss Andrassy claimed that Miss Evert had befriended her and stayed in the Norman home with her then husband, one time U.S. skiing champion Andy Mill.
Mr Mill, 53, was the golfer’s best friend.
The relationship between Norman and Miss Evert, both 52, began when the two couples were on a fishing holiday, she claimed.
Norman went public with his new relationship after being seen dining with Miss Evert in Sydney in December.
Miss Andrassy said she was devastated when her husband told her he wanted a trial separation followed by him filing for divorce three months later.
“It was a shock – I never thought it would get to this point,” she said. “I never expected it would go to divorce.
“I was in Italy with Morgan, my daughter, on a holiday and he called to tell me that he had filed for divorce.
“I thought we were going to work on it (the marriage) but that wasn’t the case with him. Emotionally, I can’t even describe how I felt. It has been a very hard road.”
She is not the only one feeling bruised by the affair.
Mr Mill recently said of his former friend Norman: “A year and a half ago I’d have taken a bullet for this guy. I didn’t realise he was going to pull the trigger.”
Miss Andrassy, who met the future double Open golf champion in 1981 when she was a flight attendant, said she had become disappointed by her husband’s desire for fame and wealth, including private jets and palatial homes around the world.
“I really do think fame and fortune took over,” she said.
“When Greg and I met, Greg didn’t have a lot and we worked at it together – I stayed in the background and let him do what he had to do. He could shine.
“He was the one who was the talented golfer who was going out there – I was very supportive and so happy for him.”
Speaking bitterly about the arguments over a divorce, Miss Andrassy said: “I became just another another business deal to Greg and he wanted to get the best business deal possible.”
Norman, who is said to be worth £250million, was not the easiest person to live with, she added.
“Living with somebody whose goal is to be the best in the world, you make a lot of sacrifices. I was like a single mum with the kids a lot of the time.”
She added: “Greg’s goal was to be the number one golfer in the world and my goal was to be the best mum and I definitely know I accomplished that. I was devoted to Greg in every way.
“I thought I was the best wife, but I guess I wasn’t.”
When asked if, apart from Norman’s relationship with Miss Evert, she thought he had been faithful to her during their 25-year marriage, she quietly replied: “No comment.”
She added: “I loved Greg with all my heart and soul. I’m not in love with him any more, but I’ve got to give my heart time to heal.”
