SAS Australia: ‘I was unfaithful’: Darius Boyd on the year his life fell apart

Former NRL star Darius Boyd reveals how his marriage was almost destroyed and the moment he hit rock bottom.

Former NRL star Darius Boyd is the latest recruit to bare all on their difficult past as part of the brutal SAS Australia selection course.

The 34-year-old broke down as he shared how he struggled to understand his mother’s depression, sharing they were estranged for eight years.

The directing staff pulled the former Brisbane Broncos captain in for a chat after he failed to lead his fellow recruits in another excruciating challenge on the Channel 7 reality show on Monday night.

Rugby star Darius Boyd wanted to challenge himself to get out of his comfort zone. Picture: 7/Remco Jansen

DS Ollie Ollerton asked the father of three why he’d put up his hand for the course where celebrities are put through their paces to gain selection to the SAS.

“I don’t usually do things out of my comfort zone,” Boyd replied. “I like to be good at things, so I wanted to test myself with some hard-core challenges.”

The staff joked it’s the first time they had heard Boyd speak, and encouraged him to open up further as they asked questions about his early life.

“I didn’t have a lot of male role models — I came into professional sport at 19 and hung around with the wrong crowd a lot.

“I didn’t smile much. I was a bit angry.”

Boyd paused, tears filling his eyes as he detailed his mum’s battle with depression.

“I moved in with a family for 12 months and didn’t speak to her for eight years,” he shared.

“I was very angry and resentful. I didn't understand depression and why my mum couldn’t be here anymore.

“It was hard on her too.”

Boyd then opened up on his own struggles with mental health.

“My whole life fell to s--t in 2014 when I was at Newcastle Knights,” he said.

“It was a tough year and I don’t feel great about that period of my life. There’s a lot of things I would do differently. I let a lot of people down – my mum, my grandmother and my wife Kayla.

“I was unfaithful and she made a good decision to leave.

“It’s something I’m not proud of. It was something that needed to happen for us to be where we are today.”

Darius Boyd says he let his wife Kayla down. Picture: Annette Dew

Boyd detailed how he went home one day and looked around his house.

“I had no wife, no family, no friends,” he said.

“I was looking at old photos – I was a happy, smiling kid who loved playing sport, But here I was at 27 with not much to show for my life.”

Feeling at rock bottom, he called his manager and said he needed help.

“I didn’t know what I needed but I didn’t want to feel that way anymore,” Boyd said.

“He put me on to a nurse in a mental facility and I hung up the phone and cried.

“It was just instant relief to know I could hopefully have a happier healthier life.”

Darius Boyd in his playing days. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Life has been anything but easy for Boyd. Raised by a single mother and his grandmother, the sports star has never had a relationship with his father.

He was only 17 when he was chosen to play in the Australian Schoolboys NRL team, and joined the Brisbane Broncos at the age of 18.

But while his career reached new heights, Boyd faced a number of mental health challenges, which caused a strain on his marriage. He slept with other people before suffering a breakdown in 2014.

The entire ordeal resulted in him briefly separating from Kayla, who said in 2017 that she had “had enough, I was 100 per cent done”.

He and Kayla briefly separated in the aftermath. The pair ultimately reconciled and Boyd was able to work on his depression and ultimately return to the NRL in 2015.

“Rebuilding relationships was a challenge and took time,” Boyd said.

“But we’re in a good space because of the hardships we’ve gone through. I’m really happy to be in this space.”

Darius and, Kayla Boyd with daughters Willow and Romi. Picture: Supplied

The DS congratulated him on opening up and owning his experiences.

“I think talking about your experiences and owning your stories honesty is the best,” Boyd said.

“I learnt the hard way that to hide and be private leads to a negative mindset. I think talking about your experiences is the best way to get on with your life and be the best version of yourself.”

SAS Australia continues Tuesday, 7.30pm, Seven

Originally published as SAS Australia: ‘I was unfaithful’: Darius Boyd on the year his life fell apart