Gary Rohan’s ex wife has opened up about how the AFL star was her ‘rock’ when their baby died just hours after she was born, only for their marriage to break down.
Amie Rohan and her Geelong Cats estranged husband lost their daughter Willow the day she was born on April 12, 2018, while the infant’s twin Bella survived after spending three weeks in NICU.
The mother-of-two said on Tuesday that she still has bad days, but talking about her loss helped her heal.
Pictured: Gary Rohan with his daughter Bella and ex wife Amie Rohan before they split in July
Pictured: Amie Rohan with her children Bella and Sadie-Rose. She and her football star ex lost their daughter Willow in 2018
‘Gary was my rock at the time and the support network got us through,’ she told the Herald Sun.
‘We were dealt a tough blow with Willow and having to be strong for Bella. But we got to meet families that were in [NICU] for months on end.’
Ms Rohan was just 12 weeks through her first pregnancy when she first learned one of her babies would not survive.
The infant was diagnosed with anencephaly, a congenital disorder in which a major part of the baby’s brain fails to develop.
She said her experience spending three weeks in NICU was ‘nothing’ compared to other families’ struggles.
‘It made me realise that there’s always someone in a worse off position,’ she said.
On Tuesday, Amie listed ‘separation anxiety’ and ‘a touch of mental health struggles’ among some of the ‘hardest things’ she’s dealt with as a mother.
Pictured: Gary and Amie Rohan during happier times when they were married
‘I can’t be everything for everyone’: Former WAG Amie Rohan (pictured) has reflected on the anxiety of motherhood after splitting from AFL star husband Gary last year
The couple’s alleged marriage breakdown in July came just months after their daughter Sadie Rose was born in March.
Amie shared an Instagram post that read: ‘What motherhood has taught me is that I can’t be everything for everyone.’
‘I’m slowly learning to outsource where I can and lean on others more to do the things I just can’t keep on top of but it’s all such a learning process,’ she added.
‘Add on top of that grief, separation anxiety and a touch of mental health struggles and it’s honestly just been really bloody hard! Baby steps though.’
The couple are understood to have broken up when the 29-year-old star forward joined the AFL’s Gold Coast coronavirus hub alongside his teammates in July last year.
Following his move to the Sunshine State his wife stayed behind in Melbourne with their two daughters, and rumours abounded that Rohan began a relationship with a Cats physio.
Their marriage ended just months after their daughter Sadie Rose was born in March.
Their girls: Amie lives with daughters Bella, two, and Sadie, almost one. The couple tragically lost their baby Willow, Bella’s twin, shortly after their birth on April 12, 2018
‘Couldn’t have put it better myself’: Amie shared a post about overcoming hurdles and not giving up
In November, Ms Rohan shared a cryptic post about finding strength through ‘difficult days’ after her AFL star ex supposedly moved on with a Geelong Cats staffer.
She uploaded a post by poet Dhiman about overcoming hurdles and not giving up.
It read: ‘This year you have learned to trust yourself. You have seen your strength rising through your most difficult days.’
‘You have been hurt and there were days when you were falling apart but you have held onto yourself, you did not give up on your heart.
‘And despite all the hurdles on your path, you have managed to come this far.’
Ms Rohan captioned it: ‘Couldn’t have put it better myself.’
She also told the Herald Sun that being an ambassador for the Royal Children’s Hospital has given her the opportunity to give back.
‘If I can encourage someone else to heal then it’s worth it. I’m always going to have bad days but they’re nowhere near as bad as what they were,’ she said.
Speaking out: In November, Amie shared a cryptic post about finding strength through ‘difficult days’ after her AFL star ex supposedly moved on with a Geelong Cats staffer
Moving on: Amie’s marriage ended just months after the birth of their third child, Sadie Rose, in March
Over: Gary Rohan and wife Amie wed in 2016, but are understood to have split in late July 2020 when the 29-year-old star forward joined the AFL’s Gold Coast coronavirus hub
When speaking about what coping mechanisms helped her cope with her loss, Ms Rohan said talking about it instead of keeping her feelings bottled up made a difference.
Opening up to Harper’s Bazaar magazine in October 2018, Amie said that the couple made the decision to carry both babies to term.
‘We sat down and said ”this journey has been written for us. Let’s continue on it”,’ she told the publication.
‘We had about five hours with Willow before she passed. In those five hours, I learnt so much about life and how precious it is.’
Amie said the couple needed time to heal after her first pregnancy, but later announced the birth of their daughter Sadie Rose in March 2020.
‘We welcomed our little daughter into this crazy world yesterday. Sadie Rose Rohan born at 8.27am weighing a petite 2970 grams,’ she wrote at the time.