Peter Daicos is an Australian sporting legend, having played 250 games over the course of his illustrious AFL career – all for the Collingwood Magpies.
After retiring in 1994, Peter’s focus shifted to his personal life and his growing family, but his connection to Collingwood Football Club has remained strong thanks to his two sons.
30 years after retiring from football, the 62-year-old AFL great is tackling a different kind of challenge: appearing in the 2024 season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia.
While watching Peter onscreen, fans may be wondering about his life away from sport, and all about his family. Here, we unpack everything to know about the Daicos family.
Peter is married to his wife Colleen, and it’s believed the couple have been together since the early 1990s. However, there is limited information about the exact timeline and specific dates in regards to their relationship.
Colleen spoke to our sister site New Idea about Peter being on I’m A Celebrity, saying “it’s been so strange not to be able to speak to him.”
“I think the longest Peter and I have been apart before this is six days,” she added.
Peter and Colleen have welcomed three children together, one daughter and two sons.
Josh Daicos, 25, and Nick Daicos, 21, have followed in their father’s footsteps and both play for Collingwood in the AFL.
Josh was selected for the team in the 2016 draft, while Nick was selected in the 2021 draft. The former has appeared in over 100 games for the club, while the latter recently notched up 50 games himself.
The Daicos brothers have continued the family Collingwood legacy, taking home the 2023 AFL Premiership.
Peter spoke to SEN about how he fostered his sons’ AFL skills, saying: “One of the things that I continually did was I was involved in my kids’ sport, which I think is – whether as a coach or just turning up – is really important.”
“I’m stating the obvious, but I think taking them to the football… I even used to take both boys into the commentary box when I was involved in commentary and media, I’d always have them there and we’d go to games, and they didn’t necessarily have to be Collingwood games. I’d take them to a game, and they’d get all excited. We’d go home and kick a ball for an hour or so in the yard or in the living room.”
Peter Daicos and wife Colleen also share one daughter named Madison who is the couple’s eldest child.
The 32-year-old was old enough to attend some of her father’s AFL games before his retirement in 1994, and Peter reflected on one of his most cherished memories when his daughter attended his final game for Collingwood.
“I got the opportunity to run a lap with my daughter at the MCG. I asked if I could do it and the AFL said no. I said to my wife, ‘Bugger it, just hand her over to me,’ and as I got halfway around, she handed Maddie over. And there’s a shot of me running around with Maddie and she looks like Superman with 35 on the back,” Peter said on I’m A Celebrity.
Speaking to New Idea, Maddie said “We’ve all really missed him while he’s been away, but watching him on TV makes us feel really connected to him.”
