Former The Bachelor Australia contestant Emily Simms says she is grateful Sam Wood did not choose her. Wood remains behind bars after being charged with domestic violence-related offences, while Simms claims her family saw him only hours before his arrest.
The former reality television contestant, who clashed with Wood during his 2015 season of the Channel 10 dating show, says she still stands by her criticism of him 11 years later.
In an interview with the Herald Sun, Simms said she had no regrets about her dramatic exit from the series, during which Wood eventually chose his now-wife, Snezana Markoski.
“I’m so glad Sam Wood didn’t choose me. That he didn’t give me a rose,” she said.
Simms, who now lives in Noosa with her husband Pierre and their two children, made headlines during the show’s third season when she abruptly left a rose ceremony.
The Melbourne advertising executive had questioned Wood’s conduct and decided she no longer wanted to pursue a relationship with him.
Former Bachelor contestant Emily Simms says she is grateful she was rejected by Sam Wood, who remains behind bars after being charged with domestic violence-related offences.
The former reality TV star famously clashed with Wood during his 2015 season of The Bachelor Australia.
Her exit became one of the season’s most memorable moments, with Simms making clear she was deeply unimpressed by Wood.
“I’m horrified obviously about what has allegedly happened to Snez,” she said.
Simms said her husband spotted Wood on a family outing at Noosa Main Beach just hours before his arrest on October 3.
Wood had been holidaying at the popular Queensland destination with Snezana, their three young daughters and his 21-year-old stepdaughter, Eve.
According to Simms, her husband saw Wood appearing happy and relaxed as he spent time on the beach with his daughters during the school holidays.
The two men had met before Simms joined the dating show, although they were no longer in contact.
Police were called to the luxury apartment where Wood and his family were staying just hours after the sighting, following an alleged domestic violence incident.
Simms also reflected on her time filming The Bachelor, saying she was hurt by Wood’s suggestion that she had not opened up emotionally.
The comments follow a court hearing in which it was alleged that Snezana feared her celebrity fitness trainer husband was going to kill her during an alleged domestic violence incident at their beachfront apartment in the La Mer complex.
Simms said she had no regrets about leaving the Channel 10 dating series.
Simms said she had confided in Wood about her late brother’s mental health struggles, but felt he dismissed her vulnerability.
The former contestant also claimed that, following her dramatic departure from the reality series, several people who knew Wood had contacted her.
While she did not elaborate on what she had been told, she made it clear her opinion of the former Bachelor star was unchanged.
‘I have nothing pleasant to say about him. I didn’t then and I certainly don’t now,’ she said.
Her comments come after a court heard on Thursday that Markoski allegedly feared her celebrity fitness trainer husband was going to kill her during an alleged domestic violence incident at a beachfront apartment in the La Mer complex in Noosa.
Police also told Queensland’s Maroochydore Magistrates Court on the Sunshine Coast of an earlier ‘similar’ incident in Victoria, which did not proceed further at the time.
Wood was denied bail and will remain behind bars after his arrest on Saturday night when police were called to the family’s luxury apartment on Noosa’s Hastings Street.
Sergeant Janette Grigoris told the bail hearing that Wood’s stepdaughter Eve, 21, called Triple Zero and ‘referred to the victim having been choked’.
Pictured: Simms with husband Pierre Ghougassian
‘I’m so glad Sam Wood didn’t choose me. That he didn’t give me a rose,’ she said
The prosecutor told the court Markoski allegedly thought she was going to die and is now living in fear of retribution from the former Bachelor star.
Sgt Grigoris said Markoski had not made a formal statement to police but had given a version of events in a video recording.
She told police the alleged attack ended only when one of the children called out.
The court was shown photographs of her alleged injuries and was told Markoski supported the criminal charges against Wood.
Sgt Grigoris told the court of a ‘previous’ incident in Victoria that was ‘similar in nature’, to which police were called, but the victim did not make a complaint.
Sergeant Grigoris alleged Wood’s behaviour had been ‘escalating’.
Wood’s solicitor Mathew Cuskelly said his client denied strangling or assaulting his wife. He also confirmed on Friday that Wood would apply for bail in Queensland’s Supreme Court.
The court heard Wood may rely on self-defence if domestic violence charges over an alleged attack on his wife go to trial.