It’s fair to say that before he stepped foot in the I’m A Celebrity… jungle, much of Australia knew Sam Thaiday mostly for his NRL glory days.
But away from the football field, Sam, 39, is a charitable guy who has always known the value of giving to others, and after winning the jungle crown and much-needed money for his chosen charity, he’s grateful the public are now seeing a deeper side to him.
“I think people actually got to see me. Having a 16-year career as a rugby league player, you get branded with that for a long, long time,” Sam tells Woman’s Day.
“My friends and family, they all know that I am kind-hearted and that there’s a lot more to me than just being a rugby league player. I’ve always been one to give my time and give as much as I can.”
Being able to hand over a hefty $100,000 cheque to Find Ya Feet – an organisation helping boys and men with mental health issues – was a driving force for Sam, and he’s now onto his next worthy cause, being the ambassador for The Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.
He’s ready to shave his head to support those battling blood cancer, and in his new role, he’s also cherishing the chance to connect with everyday Australians.
“A lot of the conversations I’m having with people now on the streets are a lot different to previous conversations around rugby,” Sam says. “Now there’s a lot more being open and honest and a lot more depth to those conversations.”
THE FAMILY JUGGLE
When we catch up with Sam and his wife Rachel, it’s a school day and they’ve just got through a “divide and conquer” morning – co-ordinating drop-offs to work meetings and everything in between!
“Gracie had touch football very early so I dropped her off, then Rachel had a client this morning at home so she trained her client and then got Ellsie across the road to school… it’s juggling,” Sam laughs, before his wife reminds him their dogs, Rocco and Busta, also need to be walked.
Luckily for the high school sweethearts, who have been married since 2011, they’ve been on the same page about their family dynamics since before they even had kids!
“The one thing we agreed on was that we were always on the same team, and so our parenting style is very similar,” Rachel says. “Sam’s more fun and I have always had to be more of the ‘routine and discipline’.”
BACK WITH HIS GIRLS
Rach, 39, says it was “love at first sight again” when Gracie, 11, and Ellsie, nine, saw their dad after weeks of only being able to see him on the TV screens in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
“Well, if you look at it, I was camping with mates for four weeks,” Sam says.
“It could be classed as a holiday because there was little to no responsibility when it came to your everyday household chores, your everyday running around after the kids.”
For a former football great who played an impressive 304 games for the Brisbane Broncos and took the trophy in 10 out of 11 State of Origin series, the concept of winning is surely not foreign.
Although, Sam did have some tough competition in the likeability factor, with campmates Matty ‘J’ Johnson and Reggie Bird giving him a run for his money!
“I did say to Rachel that I was going to win and that was my mindset going in, because I knew how big the commitment was and I didn’t want to waste the time away,” he says. “I missed some big, significant moments – Gracie starting high school, Ellsie had some athletics championships on.”
So what’s next for Sam, aside from his charitable work – another reality show?
“The girls have been going, ‘You should do Survivor next, or The Amazing Race’,” Sam laughs.
