‘THE HORROR ACCIDENT THAT BROKE OUR MARRIAGE!’

Struggles with illness and stress brought the new parents to their knees

Since making their emotional debut on The Last Resort last week, Gold Coast couple Jodie and Stu have struck a chord with thousands of viewers.

After eight years of what Jodie, 34, describes as a “fairytale” marriage, and the birth of their two beautiful little girls, tragedy struck when Stu, 39, was involved in a serious accident in 2015.

It left him bedridden for a year and suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, and triggered the couple’s “sexless marriage” – which led Jodie to sign up for the show.

“When the accident happened I had a five-week old baby, as well as my firstborn,” says Jodie.

“I had a lot on my shoulders and it was a really hard year.”

Now Woman’s Day can reveal the couple have experienced d even more heartbreak – Stu’ss regret at being unable to bondnd with his youngest daughter, now two, after her birth.

“I was heavily medicated so I pretty much missed thos those se first two years of her life. It was pretty heartbreaking,” Stu adds.

“Before the accident, I loved life and didn’t have a care in the world. But I did a 180° turn.

“It broke me to the point that doing normal, everyday things like waking up and going to work was difficult. It was really tough.”

While the pair can’t confirm if their marriage has been saved thanks to their time on the show just yet, what’s clear is that Stu is in a far better place than he was a few years ago.

“Our eldest daughter noticed a significant change in her daddy when he came back,” Jodie says.

“She just looked at him and said, ‘Daddy, you look different. You look happy.’ It was amazing.”