Just three years ago, fitness pro Sam Wood was the ultimate single man living the life of a bachelor in Melbourne.
But his quest for true love took him down the most unconventional path imaginable as the 2015 Bachelor.
Fast forward to 2018 and Sam and his beloved “Snow White”, fiancee Snezana Markoski, have become the poster couple for the often doomed reality series.
Defying the dreaded Bachelor curse, last October the couple welcomed their first child together and are in the midst of planning their dream wedding.
To celebrate the release of Daddy’s Home 2 on DVD and Blu-Ray this month, Sam speaks exclusively to Now To Love about his wedding, daughter Willow and why fatherhood is the best thing to ever happen to him…
Sam and Snez are planning their upcoming wedding.
Wedding bells
While we count down to our very first Bachelor wedding, Sam tells us he and Snez are currently sussing out venues.
“We are looking at venues at the moment so obviously finding the right venue based on its availability will determined the date. I expect us to have a venue locked in within the next month,” Sam says.
“Now that Snez has had Willow and she’s been able to settle in, Snez is definitely having a good look.”
In the past, the couple have hinted at a destination wedding but since welcoming Willow, the big day will be back on home turf.
“Now our lives have changed a fair bit, we’re going keep it a bit closer to home and a bit simpler.”
From the ultimate bachelor to doting dad
“Fatherhood is honestly the best thing ever,” Sam gushes of his four-month-old daughter Willow and 12-year-old stepdaughter Eve.
The fitness guru says becoming a dad-of-two in a matter of years has given him a serious wake-up call and puts all of his trivial problems into perspective.
“You think things are important when you’re by yourself but when you have kids, your prioritises change. Things have been totally turned on their head in every facet of my life in the last three years and I wouldn’t change it for anything,” the reality star admits.
WATCH: Relive Willow’s arrival. Post continues…
The wonder of Eve and Willow
With a newborn and a pre-teen under the one roof, Sam says watching big sister Eve look after Willow is seriously touching.
“Eve always wanted to be a big sister and she’s really helpful. It’s always a balancing act with the age gap and a lot going on in her life too, babies can be pretty all-consuming – so Snez and I are always having little chats in the background about balance,” he says of sharing the love.
Despite Willow’s unpredictable sleep pattern, Sam admits his little girl is just “the best.”
“She’s super attentive, alert, laughs and drools and knows exactly what’s going on. She’s a bit clingy but that’s only because we’ve spoiled her rotten and she’s been cuddled since she was born. She eats everything, chews everything,” the proud dad beams.
Defying the reality TV odds
There’s no denying the latest incarnations of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is a totally different beast compared to Sam’s season in 2015.
For Sam, he believes the key to finding love on reality TV is authenticity.
“I think people want to go on the show more to get a profile than to meet someone. There’s been some great success stories out of it, which gives people a lot of hope. But if you’re not doing it for the right reasons, I think you’re going to come unstuck,” the father-of-two explains.
For him and wife-to-be Snez, the key to their success has always been humour.
“We laugh about it [meeting on The Bachelor]. Snez was saying the other day how she remembers filling out the application form and being a little bit cheeky and quite light-hearted even then,” Sam shares.
“She didn’t take it too seriously, she didn’t go in with pre-conceived ideas or expectations to become a celebrity. So I think the fact that we were both up for an adventure and we were both ourselves meant that we could meet each other as ourselves.”
“Whereas if you go into those things and you try and be someone you’re not, you’re trying to create an outcome that’s a bit fabricated, it never really works because you’re not being true to yourself I can’t really see how that’s going to be the good foundation for a proper ride.”
2018 hopefuls, you better be taking notes!
Back to where it all began!
Will there be anymore Bachie babies?
Sam can’t get enough of fatherhood and predicts there’ll be a few more adorable Bachie babies down the track.
“We definitely want to have another one but I think we’ve got to get married first and then let the madness continue!”
But for now, he’s enjoying being a family-of-four and learning how to navigate the challenges of parenthood.
Let kids be kids and don’t overthink it
As his 28 fitness empire grows, Sam’s approach to nutrition is as refreshing and realistic as it gets.
“[In our pantry] there’s marshmallows and blocks of chocolate and Ice Magic. Do we have it all day every day? Of course not! We’re normal people and if you don’t have some of that stuff in your house, you’ve gone too far with it. Kids still should be kids,” he attests.
“Keep them active and watch what they eat most of the time.”
For his fail-safe go-to meal for hungry mouths, Sam says you can’t go past healthy burritos with lettuce as the wrap.
“A little chopped up chicken or mince, salsa, sour cream, cheese and tomato,” Sam notes.
“The other great thing about a meal like that, Eve loves creating and she can get pretty hands-on. The more hands-on kids can be in the kitchen, the better the relationship they have with food and the more they understand what real food is and that it just doesn’t come out of a packet,” he adds.
As for the one piece of parenting advice that has stuck with him?
“Don’t overthink it.If you read everything and fixate on every little thing, particularly before your child has even been born, you’re going to send yourself crazy! And spend as much quality time as you can because it goes so fast.”
Daddy’s Home 2 out on 4K Ultra HDTM, Blu-rayTM, & DVD from February 28.
