AFL great Trent Cotchin’s heartbreaking wife confession

Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin has revealed the “scariest moment of his life” when thinking his wife was never coming back.

2018 Brownlow Medal. Red Carpet. Richmond's Trent Cotchin and wife Brooke . Pic: Michael Klein

Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin has revealed heartbreaking details about wife Brooke’s suicide fears.

The popular lifestyle influencer recently opened up on the moment she thought about taking her own life in the aftermath of her highly-publicised COVID-19 breach in 2020.

The 33-year-old footballer has now described the traumatic episode as the “scariest moment of his life”.

Cotchin, a three-time premiership captain, Brownlow Medallist, and three-time Jack Dyer Medal winner, is sharing new private details about his life off the field in a new autobiography, From The Heart.

His revelations include his fears that Brooke may not have returned from a drive during the family’s 2020 rollercoaster.

Brooke Cotchin travelled to the Sunshine State at the time with her three children to support her husband as Covid-19 restrictions forced players and their families into a quarantined bubble in Queensland to ensure the season could go ahead.

2018 Brownlow Medal. Red Carpet. Richmond's Trent Cotchin and wife Brooke. Pic: Michael Klein.

Trent Cotchin of the Tigers kisses wife Brooke before his 300th match. Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

However, she triggered a huge fine for the Tigers when she was busted breaking the AFL’s strict biosecurity protocols after posting a photo to Instagram of her visit to a day spa on the Gold Coast.

The visit was in breach of the isolation hub that players and clubs agreed to as part of the deal with the Queensland Government that saw Victorian clubs relocate up north.

Brooke was viciously slammed for the code breach, with many critics suggesting it was reflective of a sense of entitlement among well-paid footy stars and their partners.

It took a heartbreaking toll on her personally.

“I kept saying to Trent, the only reason — it sounds extreme — but the only reason I didn’t kill myself was because of my kids,’’ Brooke told the Curious Conversations podcast in 2021.

“That’s my thing with the media and I don’t think they realise how damaging they can be.

“I suppose you get painted as this person that you’re not and you’ve got no control so you just have to deal with it.”

Former Tigers captain Cotchin with his wife, Brooke. Picture: instagram - https://www.instagram.com/posisocks/?hl=en

Trent Cotchin poses for a portrait with his wife Brooke and their children Parker, Harper and Mackenzie. Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images.

Her husband now says there was one particular moment when he feared she may have never come back to him — or the couple’s three children, Harper, Mackenzie and Parker.

“2020 was my most challenging period as a husband and a partner,” he told The Saturday Herald Sun.

“Brooke was torn, she didn’t want me to leave the (Richmond) boys, but she also knew that our family wellbeing was the absolute priority.

“(When she went out driving) she wouldn’t answer, I didn’t know where she was. I couldn’t track her down. I honestly wasn’t sure if she was coming back to us.

“It was the scariest moment of my life. I genuinely thought she might try to harm herself.

“I have never been more relieved in my life when Brooke finally came back.”

Brooke said in 2021 she didn’t get out of bed for days while battling her mental health at the time and struggled to accept support from family who couldn’t be there with her.

Despite the private issues, Cotchin led the Tigers to a famous premiership that year, beating Geelong in the grand final in Brisbane.