“This was too close to home”: Gogglebox star Isabelle Richards shares her domestic violence story
"I was that woman too."
When it was revealed that Sam Wood had been arrested on serious alleged domestic violence charges, fellow reality TV star Isabelle Richards found the news – like too many other woman around Australia – to feel “very close to home.”
“It’s happened to me,” she shared, in a raw and revealing social media post at the time. “An ex-boyfriend put his hands around my throat, more than once.”
The former-Bachelor turned fitness guru Wood, 46, was recently denied bail after being charged with domestic violence offences, including strangulation, following an alleged altercation with his wife Snezana in a Noosa villa on October 3. He denies the charges and will make a second application for bail to the supreme court in November.
Isabelle, 42 exclusively tells New Idea that she’s been on an “emotional journey” in the weeks since the news broke.
“I thought I’d healed since it happened to me but what I saw in the recent headlines, to me, was my story too,” she explains.
“I was in a relationship that outwardly looked happy, healthy and stable. But I was compelled to talk about what happened to me because DV can happen to anyone, anywhere. Whether they’re in the public eye or not. I was that woman too.”
Isabelle says that she told no one close to her – including mum Kerry and late grandmother Emmie, who starred with her on Gogglebox for almost 20 seasons – about what was happening to her at the hands of an ex-boyfriend.
“It didn’t come out of the blue,” she recalls. “It would start with things like throwing objects or driving erratically during an argument. I blamed myself because I’m a very expressive and fiery person when it comes to communicating and I like to talk things out and explain how I’m feeling and that was slowly shut down – with violence. I quickly learned I was not safe to express myself any more.”
When Isabelle experienced strangulation, “I went into shock and denial,” she says.
“I said to myself ‘did that actually happen’ but because I didn’t lose consciousness or have bruising I questioned if it was really as bad as I thought it was. I even blamed myself because I told myself ‘I’d pushed him too far.’”
Isabelle finally extricated herself from that relationship when she met a man who pointed out that she absolutely did not deserve to be treated in that way.
“He was the first person who I told about what was happening and he made me realise that I deserved love in a more healthy way. He also made me realise that there are men out there who don’t treat women like that.”
As a mum to a son and young daughter, Isabelle says that now, modelling healthy relationship behaviours to her kids is key.
“When I re-partnered it was so important to me to try to communicate – and argue at times – in a healthy way – with my husband,” she says.
“These days, I’m still fiery and expressive – I’m myself – because I know it’s safe. Too many women aren’t so lucky.”
If she has a message for anyone experiencing DV, it’s that “help is out there.” She adds that she’s also sharing her story now because “if it helps just one woman at all, then I’m happy to speak out.”
