Glamour AFL couple Marc and Jessie Murphy’s health scare
Marc and Jessie Murphy may be an AFL glamour couple, but behind the lens of Jessie’s flawless and enviable Instagram empire she was suffering a real-life health scare.
Confidential
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The connection between Marc and Jessie Murphy is evident now, but theirs wasn’t an instant chemistry.
It took about six months after they met for the AFL glamour couple to strike up a meaningful relationship.
Marc, the former Carlton captain who is about to start his 15th season with the Blues, recalls their low-key first catch up, which he says set the tone.
“Our first date was at Giorgios in Armadale and Jessie rocked up an hour late,’’ Marc says.
“She had a modelling job that went late and wondered if we should cancel, but I was already sitting at the table. She set the tone straight away — always late.
“I was playing in three days’ time so I was just sitting there having a water and the waiter was a Carlton fan which helped. Finally she turned up and we saw each other for about six months and then dated properly after that.”
The pair met through mutual friends at Melbourne nightclub Eve in 2011.
Initially a slow burn, the pair stepped it up a year later and married in 2016. They live in Melbourne’s inner north with son Max, 2, and pug Larry.
“It’s gone fast,” Jessie says.
“We lived together for two or three years before getting married. You know when you’re always at someone’s house anyway? Not that it mattered but I didn’t even know who he was when we first met each other.
“He was really nice, family orientated, and I’ve got a big family so it was something that ticked all the boxes, I guess. He’s not crazy like some of them out there. We have so many mutual people and friends so we got along well.”
Jessie was already a blogger, and has built her @cestvogue brand into a popular account with about 263,000 followers. She’s also partnered with brands such as Anton, Celine and Liberty Belle, and she and Marc are sought-after guests at sporting and social events such as the Australian Open and the races.
Marc is proud of what Jessie has achieved and also what their family represents. They are working together as ambassadors of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which hits the Albert Park track on Thursday.
“A few of my mates take the mickey and call her ‘Cessy’ or ‘Cessy Vogue’, but I don’t mind going to things and doing things that Jessie does,” Marc, 32, says.
“All the boys really enjoyed me waving that GP flag in the pic we did to announce it.
“For the first time in my career, I’m happy to be under 180cm and under 80kg so I can do the hot lap. I don’t really care. I just keep telling them I’m doing an F1 hot lap and they’re not.
“I reckon even the last three to four years, everyone on Insta puts things up and no one gives a crap. I think five or six years ago if you did something self-promoting yourself it would have been a big deal, but no one cares now.”
As part of their GP role, the pair will appear in the VIP Paddock Club as well as attend various on-track events, including Glamour on the Grid on Wednesday night and Thursday’s Mercedes-Benz Ladies Day lunch.
While Jessie always looks flawless and her social media account shows an enviable lifestyle, in reality, she’s also had her struggles.
Three years ago, she suffered a health scare with a rare eye condition and suspected tumour. She’s also had melanomas removed and underwent an emergency caesarean while delivering Max in January 2018.
“I had a pterygium, which is quite rare, but it had to be taken off my eye,’’ she explains.
“When they were taking it off my eye, they thought there was a tumour at the back. I think growing up in the country (Jessie was raised in Albury on the NSW-Victorian border), I was always outside and was such an outdoors kid, so I was always exposed to the sun.
“I’ve had four or five moles removed and two taken out that were early-stage melanoma. One was on the side and one under my boob.
“The surgeon says you might have heaps of sun exposure on your face but it can pop up on your toe or anywhere. We apply sunscreen on Max all the time and try to be really safe. Living in Australia it’s really important, the sun safety thing.”
Jessie, 29, says she noticed the moles post-pregnancy.
“I had one that kept getting darker and darker and my sister saw and said, ‘What’s that?’.
“I actually got a mole map (done) and the (results) came back instantly. It was pretty scary but now it’s a blessing in one way or another to keep getting checked. I go back every few months now and I’ve had a few stabbed out.”
Jessie says pregnancy complications haven’t deterred her from wanting more children, hinting that later this year might be a good time to expand the family.
“There’s no rush. We don’t want too big a family. If we get another boy, I might want more.
“I had an emergency caesarean because (Max) stopped moving and I had to get him out pretty fast.
“The cord was wrapped around his neck twice. It took me a while to recover. They burn you pretty fast with an emergency one. I think in future I’ll probably have to have another caesarean — it’s probably safer to go down that path.”
Marc adds: “You only see the perfect things on Instagram. Those close to you, their opinions are the only ones that matter. I’ve had to deal with a lot with footy and Jessie has too. We don’t really have time to read anything. We know who we are and what we’re about.”
These days the couple are all about family and doing what they love. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say having Max around has helped prolong Marc’s career.
He’s played 268 games during his decorated career, and captained the Blues from 2013 to 2018. He’ll return in 2020 for the season opener on March 19 against Richmond at the MCG.
“Certainly having Max, I don’t think about football as much,’’ the doting dad admits.
“You think about the game and (then) he forces you to think about other things. If you don’t give him the proper attention, he’ll throw a football in your face.”
Marc says having seen children around the club — such as Dale Thomas’s daughter Matilda — had helped him focus.
“Seeing kids run around brings you back down to earth,’’ he says.
“It’s important, but footy is just a game and puts it in perspective.
“Speaking to some guys when they finished playing, they said it was easier for them to switch off (having kids).
“Then sometimes it’s taken (time) away from football but I’ve certainly found it’s made me better than just thinking about football all the time. Going down to the park and chasing footballs, and going down to the cafe and having babycinos.
“I enjoy in the off season having a coffee in the morning and going down the park. It gives Jessie the morning off and I really enjoy it.”
Marc is out of contract this year but intends to stay in the game.
“Playing back in the midfield a bit more last season, I still feel I’ve got a lot of football in me,’’ he says.
“Certainly I’m a lot more fresh in the mind and playing with a whole bunch of new boys is keeping me young.
“When you’re playing with guys born in the 2000s, that’s when I was starting high school. You talk about movies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, some guys haven’t even seen them.
“I think I’ll certainly play beyond this year. Mentally, I feel fine and I’m enjoying playing under (coach David Teague) Teaguey. He keeps everything fresh and I’m enjoying my time.
“I’m interested in staying in football. I’ve done a list management course and a recruiting course, and I’m doing a bit of work in the recruiting space at the footy club and might do a little bit more of that this year. In terms of coaching, I don’t think so.
“Outside of footy, I love property. We built this current house and have two other ones in Doncaster where I grew up.”
Jessie says it’s been fun but also tough being in the public eye.
She didn’t know much about the game before it was thrust upon her, but she’s established herself in the top coterie of WAGs past and present, socialising with the likes of Rebecca Judd and Nadia Bartel.
“In high school, I was really into art and writing,’’ Jessie says.
“Not that I wasn’t into sport, but I loved writing and art, and I came up with the name Cestvogue, which means the prevailing world of fashion and art.
“Being with a footballer, they don’t have as much time on their hands as people think.
“They’re training a lot, have to get their rest and don’t get the holidays throughout the year like everyone else does. There is pressure and people judge you.
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“But the boys lean on you for everything. You help them through it and support (them). It’s good to speak to someone else outside of footy, so with Max it’s nice. It’s like the opposite of knowing everything. People would know more things (about footy) than me half the time.
“It’s great if you can have a different support system at home. If I ask one (footy) question, Marc’s like, ‘No, not talking about that’. It’s more family and relatives with us.
“It’s great now Max loves football and footballs. It wouldn’t have mattered if he didn’t, but it’s great they can have that bond now and we enjoy juggling parenting together.”
The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix runs from Thursday to Sunday at Albert Park. grandprix.com.au
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