Trigger warning: this article contains discussions of drug and alcohol addiction, as well as suicide.
She’s one of the most famous – or should we say infamous – Married At First Sight stars of all time, but Jessika Power’s family is almost as complicated as her MAFS storyline.
WATCH: Jessika opens up about her “unstable” childhood
With one high-profile sibling, an ex-boxer dad and an estranged mum who wasn’t even invited to her TV wedding, there’s a lot going on in the Power family tree.
Jess herself has acknowledged how unusual her family dynamics are and said a lot of it stems from her difficult upbringing.
“It was really rough growing up… I was in situations a child should never be put in,” she told The Daily Telegraph in 2021.
“I saw my mother being abused by the various men that came and went. There were times where there were dirty needles left around the house.”
While Jess has since found fame, fortune and happiness in her own live, her family relationships are still quite complicated – read on for all the details.
READ NEXT: Jessika Power’s plastic surgery transformation
Jessika’s mum, Melinda Mackenzie
Jess has been open about her complicated relationship with her estranged mum, who Jess claims exposed her to plenty of difficult things as a child.
By the time she filmed MAFS, Jess and her mum weren’t on speaking terms and as such Melinda wasn’t invited to the TV wedding.
“Growing up I didn’t have the best upbringing,” Jessika said of her childhood on the show.
“My mum and my dad [Troy Power] divorced when I was one and then my mum moved to Western Australia, because she said it was the furthest away she could get from him.
“I didn’t have a strong father figure when I needed it the most growing up. That was hard.”
Melinda called being left out of the celebration a “betrayal” and told a very different story of her and Jess’ relationship to Woman’s Day in 2019.
“This isn’t about me, it’s about rectifying untruths,” she said, referring to Jess’ claims that she had to help raise her siblings and support her mum as a child.
“I’m not estranged from Jess – she wasn’t forced to raise her younger siblings, her childhood was a happy one. She was raised by me!
“She stayed with my mother when I was in recovery [for drug and alcohol addiction]. When that was over she moved back to Perth with me.”
After the show aired, Jess claimed her mum tried to sell stories about her to Aussie tabloids in a bid to cash in on her reality TV star daughter’s fame.
WATCH: Mick Gould tells Jess Power’s family what he really thinks of them
“As you all know I’ve remained silent on why she isn’t in my life out of the small shred of respect I had left for her and our relationship,” Jess penned at the time.
“As you can imagine I was completely devastated and inconsolable after hearing what she had done.”
Addressing the drama again in 2021, Jess told the Lads, Dads And A Couple Of Beers Podcast that she believed her mum sold the story to get money to fund her “drug addiction”.
She also opened up about her difficult childhood, stating: “I gave up my childhood for my mum when she had her drug addiction and raised my little brothers and brought my mum up as she was so incompetent in life.”
The mother and daughter have remained estranged in the years since, and with Jess now living in the UK a reunion doesn’t look likely.
Jessika’s dad, Troy Power
Troy was invited to the wedding despite having been estranged from Jess in the past too, however the pair mended their relationship six years before she starred on MAFS.
After her parents divorced and Melinda moved the family to WA, Jess had almost no contact with her biological dad for decades before reconnecting in the early 2010s.
Troy had been a professional boxer and was fiercely protective of his daughter on the show, even threatening her TV husband Mick Gould.
Jessika’s brother, Rhyce Power
Rhyce was the surprise star of his sister’s 2019 MAFS wedding, when his striking appearance in a crisp suit with plenty of tattoos peeking out caught the eyes of millions of Aussies.
Dubbed Jess’ “hot brother”, there was an almost instant media circus around Rhyce as fans tried to track him down online and in real life.
They quickly discovered that while he’s a carpenter by trade, Rhyce also worked as a male stripper, with Rhyce himself later confirming the news.
“I am a carpenter. But yes, I do that [stripping] on the side,” Rhyce told The Daily Mail in 2019.
For a brief moment he was a surprise reality TV darling, with rumours he was set to star on Love Island Australia.
That is, until domestic violence allegations from a former partner began to spread online in April 2019 and Rhyce was forced to address them.
“Our client Rhyce Power has been notified by media that an allegation has been made against him,” his legal team said in a statement.
WATCH: Rhyce Power addresses abuse claims on Instagram
“He is yet to be provided with those exact details but is now aware that a smear campaign has commenced from an ex-partner which is obviously very disappointing given their continued friendship since the relationship ending.”
The allegations sparked massive backlash and just two months later sister Jessika revealed Rhyce had been hospitalised due to the severe toll online attacks took on his mental health.
“As a loving sister who has watched my brother struggle with suicide [thoughts] for years, I will not sit beside a hospital bed again with him,” she wrote at the time.
“My brother has never been charged for these allegations made against him. I don’t condone everything [Rhyce] does… but enough is enough.”
That same year a man who shared a villa with Rhyce in Bali claimed he had stolen cash and a ring from him, allegations Jess firmly denied after Rhyce deleted his Instagram account.
“Rhyce has said the allegations are false … I have three other siblings but Rhyce just seems to be the one having all of this rubbish thrown at him,” the MAFS bride said.
In the years that followed, Rhyce dated fellow MAFS star Tamara Joy and launched an OnlyFans account, where he’s said to make very good money – just like his sister.
These days Rhyce lives in Bali, Indonesia with his stunning makeup artist fiancée Taylor Peters, who owns and runs a lash company there.
Jessika’s other siblings
The MAFS alum has mentioned in the past that she has three other siblings as well as Rhyce, including a sister named Eliz and another brother she referred to as “Bubba” online.
Eliza welcomed her first child in 2020, making Jess a very proud aunty to her sister’s baby boy.
Unlike Rhyce, Jess’ other siblings have largely avoided the spotlight and details about their lives are few and far between.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
Please remember to drink responsibly. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline 1800 250 015 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
