Married At First Sight 2021 - I Didn't Want To Be Here'

For groom Jake Edwards, the end of his football career took him to a very dark place personally

That this Married at First Sight groom is here and well enough to participate in the eighth season of the show is nothing short of a miracle. After the sudden end of his AFL career in 2009, Victorian Jake Edwards, 33, spiralled into a depression so severe it resulted in a suicide attempt.

“I was the fifth person from the third generation in my family to play AFL,” Edwards says. “I placed a huge amount of importance on my self-worth around that. My professional football career ended when I was 21 and it was extremely difficult to come to terms with, because I felt like I’d let my family down.” Here, he tells WHO how he overcame those difficult days …

ON THE PITCH

Edwards was selected to play for Carlton in the 2005 National Draft. He made his senior debut for the team at the beginning of the 2008 season, but his career was hampered by injury. “Leaving AFL behind was so hard,” he says.

How did you first react when you were let go from your AFL team?

I spiralled during the subsequent four years. Too much partying and pretending everything was OK. Friends and family tried to help me but I didn’t want to know.