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Benji Marshall May Have Never Met His Dad, But He’s a Family Man Through and Through
by
Basmah Qazi
Instagram / @benji6marshall
Celebrity Apprentice Australia is coming to a close, with Benji Marshall and Darren McMullen the last two contestants standing. As they get ready to battle it out in the finale for their chosen charities, we can’t help but want to know everything about Benji ahead of the last episode.
His pitch on Monday night’s episode made sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The NRL legend spoke about the struggles he faced growing up, and despite going on stage with palm cards, he decided to speak directly from his heart instead.
“When it comes to my personal life, I don’t really share a lot of information but I’ve done some things that I would never do in my life ever because of the word ‘charity’,” he admitted.
“I’ve never talked about this publicly. I’ve never talked about this because it’s meant so much to me,” he told the judges.
Benji has played 300 games in the NRL and is one of the most respected players in the sport. However, while he acknowledges and appreciates the recognition, Benji said no one really knows him.
“That’s not the real me, you know how I know that? ’cause I don’t even know the real me,” he revealed.
“There’s half of me missing that I haven’t found out about. I don’t know my real dad. I don’t know my culture. I don’t know my nationality… Who am I?” he added.
Benji admitted to being bullied as a child for not knowing his dad, and to today, he’s unaware of who his father is.
That could be the reason Benji is always stood firmly by his family’s side. The athlete has been married to Zoe Marshall for nine years, and the two have openly spoken about how much they rely on each other.
The pair first met when Zoe had left an abusive relationship and Benji was grieving the loss of Michael Doherty, the man he considered to be a father.
“We saved each other,” Zoe told Who. “We’ve seen our therapist for 12 years together because we both knew how valuable it was and we had hangups, we had trauma that we needed to heal together, or we were going to let all the toxic sh** in.”
Despite both being in a dark place, the couple grew stronger together and eventually tied the knot in 2013. While Benji and Zoe’s marriage is one for the ages, that doesn’t mean it didn’t come with problems.
Although they’re now parents to two little kids, Zoe’s road to motherhood was difficult, given her struggles with endometriosis.
The pair found it hard to conceive, but just as they were about to start their IVF treatment, Zoe decided to try an extreme 101 Wellbeing program, which resulted in her falling pregnant within six months.
In 2018, Zoe gave birth to their first son, Benjamin Fox Marshall.
“With Benji not having his dad, me losing my mum, and then him losing his adopted dad, it’s a nice feeling to have our own family. This is our only priority in the whole world. Nothing else matters,” Zoe told Woman’s Day at the time.
Then, in June last year, the couple were blessed once again and welcomed another child, this time, a sweet girl named Ever J Marshall.
Ever just recently celebrated her first birthday on June 15.
Sitting down with The Daily Telegraph after the birth of his daughter, Benji explained how he was feeling about becoming a father for a second time.
“My biggest dream was always to become a dad, it was more than playing rugby league or doing anything like that,” he said.
“The biggest thing I wanted to do was be a parent and after becoming a dad, to a boy and a girl, everything I’ve done in my career is nothing compared to being a dad.
“We’re very lucky. We have healthy children, touch wood, but at the same time, we have each other and rely on each other,” he said of the life he shares with Zoe.
Watch the Celebrity Apprentice Australia finale tonight at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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