‘Thank God for Benji’: TV star Zoe Marshall reveals abuse hell
TV star and wife of NRL’s Benji Marshall, Zoe Marshall has revealed the horror violence she endured during an abusive relationship with a man who once smashed her head against the wall and dragged her across the room by her hair.
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WHEN Zoe Marshall ​tried to escape an abusive relationship, the man still had a hold on her — she was so distressed she crashed her car and ended up in hospital
And the abuse continued.
T he TV presenter and radio host has opened up for the first time, exclusively to The Daily Telegraph, about the horrific abuse she suffered from a man she dated.
She is now six months’ pregnant to her loving husband, NRL star Benji Marshall. But back then, her future looked grim.
“I feared for my life,” Marshall said.
And also for his life, as she wondered how far she might go to be free.
“I had moments where I thought ‘I’m going to die or I’m going to kill him because I’m so full of rage, I’m going to do something that I cannot take back. I was so scared of how far I could go and how far he could go when we were in that place.”
Marshall, 33, was young then. She might not have grown older. She had been dragged across the floor by her hair, had her head split open after he smashed it against a brick wall and had plates of food thrown at her.
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Marshall said she became isolated from family and friends and her boyfriend wouldn’t let her go out without him. Marshall even thought about ending her life.
“I thought about it a lot for a period of that time,” she said. “You don’t know a way out, it seemed easier, but I think I was too scared.”
Marshall said alcohol and substance use wasn’t a factor. It was about control. Marshall says the abuse was “clever” and “calculated”.
“It was never on my face so if there was any bruises or cuts it was always where it could be covered,” she said. The Channel 7 House Of Wellness presenter said husband Benji, who she married in 2013, still struggled to hear her talk about everything that happened.
“It does raise its head in our marriage and when we started dating it was this horrific thing and I would bring in my baggage from it.
“Some previous partners couldn’t cope and it ended the relationship. Thank God I had someone like Benji who went ‘this is really full-on but I’m going to be patient with it’ — and we still have a therapist.”
Benji responded this morning on Instagram, writing alongside a picture of his wife: “My heart is hurting for you @zoebmarshall knowing what you have had to endure and live through and be too scared and afraid to speak out about it.
“I am beyond proud of you for sharing your story so openly and honestly and giving women and men the strength to speak up against domestic violence and abuse. I love you and I am here for you @sharethedignityaustralia @whiteribbonaust #saynotodomesticviolenceandabuse #proudhusband #gotyourback #nobodydeservestoliveinfear #itbreaksmyheartknowingthis”
Marshall wants to help others by sharing her story. She has launched a fashion line with friend Lucy Henry-Hicks called Ruled By None to raise awareness and funds for Share The Dignity, a charity supporting women and girls who are victims of domestic violence and homelessness. The T-shirts feature slogans such as “Don’t Touch Me,” and “I Am Not Your Rival”.
$5 from the sale of every T-shirt will go to Share The Dignity as well as ten per cent of the proceeds from the sales of their wider clothing range which include pants, tops and dresses.
“It’s sassy and sexy and can be interpreted in a million different ways,” Marshall said. The T-shirts can be bought online or at Henry-Hicks’ clothing chain, Dissh. She said she shared her story to encourage other victims to speak out.
“We want to start a conversation about why you’re wearing a T-shirt that says ‘don’t touch me’,” Marshall said. “ I thought it was really rich me spreading a message and not sharing my personal story,” she said.
“People would question why I cared — I’m pregnant, I’m married to an amazing man, I’ve got a great career, all these things look fantastic, but you don’t know.” Henry-Hicks added: “Young women aren’t having those conversations yet and they’re particularly vulnerable when they’re in those formative years of developing relationships and working out what’s acceptable and what’s not.”
“This abuse is normalised and accepted, even within family groups and peers, no one is having a voice, no one is stepping up, it’s been many years for me to even step up, we want to stop the cycle.”
For further information on Ruled by None visit Dissh.com.au, or to learn more about Share The Dignity go to: sharethedignity.com.au