While many know Benji Marshall from his days tearing it up in the NRL, and Zoe Marshall from her extensive career as a podcast host and writer, their real strength seems to come from each other.
The couple, who are coming up to nine years of marriage, have long been open about how much they rely on each other and how they maintain their marriage.
From meeting while they were both in a dark place, to struggling through fertility-based issues, and now managing a household together – albeit with separate beds – this is what their lives look like together.
Benji and Zoe met only shortly after she had left a situation of domestic abuse, and Benji was grieving the loss of his father.
“We saved each other,” Zoe has admitted, but the pair also work very hard on their relationship.
“We’ve seen our therapist for 12 years together because we both knew how valuable it was and we had hangups, we had trauma that we needed to heal together, or we were going to let all the toxic sh– in,” she has said.
While their love grew from a broken place, it soon culminated in what would be a life-long partnership, with the pair marrying in 2013.
They tied the knot in Byron Bay eight months after Benji proposed while they were holidaying on Hamilton Island.
The lavish wedding took place at Visionnaire Estate, with plenty of family and friends in attendance, and with a musical performance from friend of the couple, Stan Walker.
They revealed at the time they hoped to have kids, with Zoe even joking about it.
“Anyway, no rush from me – try telling that to Benji,” she laughed at the time.
“Have to be svelte for that wedding dress.”
However, Zoe’s road to motherhood was a difficult one, given her struggles with endometriosis.
The pair found it difficult to conceive, and were on the verge of beginning IVF treatment when Zoe decided to try an extreme 101 Wellbeing program, given to her by Chinese medical practitioner Dr Shuquan Liu, which saw her fall pregnant within six months.
Zoe gave birth to their first son, Benjamin Fox Marshall, who is known as Fox, early 2018.
The name Benjamin was a nod to Benji’s Uncle Benji, who helped raise him in his early years. The name was equally special to Zoe, as it was one of her mother’s chosen options if she had been born a boy.
The arrival of Fox saw the couple revelling in having their own family.
“With Benji not having his dad, me losing my mum, and then him losing his adopted dad, it’s a nice feeling to have our own family. This is our only priority in the whole world. Nothing else matters,” Zoe told Woman’s Day at the time.
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While the pair hoped to give Fox a sibling, they sadly went through a miscarriage the following the year.
When Zoe eventually fell pregnant with their daughter, she explained that Benji was nervous for her to share the news.
“He’s had a lot of anxiety around me sharing prematurely, which I completely understand,” Zoe admitted.
“We had a loss around this time last year. I think the impact of that on me really rattled him. He’s private in general but didn’t want me to share.”
However, he needn’t worry – Zoe gave birth to their second child, Ever J Marshall on June 15, 2021.
These days, the pair pursue their individual projects and make a strong effort to share the load when it comes to parenting their children.
“My biggest dream was always to become a dad, it was more than playing rugby league or doing anything like that,” Benji said of his kids in a chat with The Daily Telegraph.
“The biggest thing I wanted to do was be a parent and after becoming a dad, to a boy and a girl, everything I’ve done in my career is nothing compared to being a dad.
“We’re very lucky. We have healthy children, touch wood, but at the same time, we have each other and rely on each other,” he said of his life with Zoe.
“Benji is just the most incredible person,” Zoe said of her husband in the same interview.
“He is the love of my life. He is my safe place, my support. He’s my hero.”
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