TASMANIA’S Sam Wood is already breaking hearts on the reality series The Bachelor.
Fans of the show have been tuning in to see beautiful women try to win attention, a date, a rose, and ultimately his heart.
For the 35-year-old, being the star of the third series of the Channel 10 reality show is a long way from growing up in West Hobart.
“All my family are still there, I really do miss it,” he told the Sunday Tasmanian.
“As soon as I touch down in the nice peace and quiet, the memories sort of flood back.”
Wood moved to Melbourne when he was 20 to further his career as a personal trainer and he was soon working mainly with mums and kids.
It was during this time he discovered the importance of family fitness and it inspired him to open Australia’s first kids-only gym, Gecko Sports, in 2007. There are now 35 locations around Australia.
Sam Wood says he’ll always be a Tassie boy at heart. Image supplied Channel 10
“I’ve got some great staff and they were nothing short of brilliant in my absence, and they’ve been nothing short of brilliant since I’ve been back because I haven’t been back in a full capacity with all the publicity requirements,” he said.
With his good looks, buff body and charming personality, combined with a love of helping kids, there are sure to be a few hearts broken on the show and around the country.
Only 11 of the original 19 contestants remain and while the pre-recorded series is already completed, producers are remaining tight-lipped on whether Wood actually found love.
Many would expect that being a single guy dating a group of beautiful women would be the easiest thing in the world. But Wood said it wasn’t always the case.
“It is a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience, there’s no doubt about it, [but] it’s also very hard,” he said. “Physically and emotionally, it’s a very gruelling shooting schedule and it’s quite tiring and you really don’t get to relax.
“I mean it is reality TV but you learn a lot about yourself. It’s something that I know I will always look back on and be very pleased that I did it.”
Wood declared on the show that he would “always be a Tassie boy at heart” and returned to the state as often as he could.
He is also a passionate family man, having a close bond with his father and two siblings, Alex and Hannah. Sadly, Wood’s mother died when he was 15.
With all the added attention, Wood said the support from his family had been incredible.
“I think it’s all pretty crazy for all of us,” he said.
“Until this week it hadn’t really sunk in. We all had a bit of a laugh about it at first and now that it’s a bit more real they’ve been fantastic and supportive.”
This article was originally written for The Mercury. You can read the published version here