Former The Bachelor star Matt Agnew has condemned Sam Wood over domestic violence charges, saying knowing the fitness entrepreneur would not stop him speaking out against the alleged behaviour.
Agnew, an engineer, astrophysicist and science communicator who won the Australian dating show in 2019, issued the statement on social media on Tuesday.
Queensland Police charged a 46-year-old Victorian man with assault occasioning bodily harm in a domestic violence context and strangulation in a domestic setting after officers were called to The Sebel in Noosa at about 9pm on Saturday.
Wood, his wife Snezana and their daughters were understood to have been staying at the property when police attended following a report of alleged domestic violence.
“I know Sam Wood,” Agnew wrote. “That does not soften where I stand.”
He said domestic violence was “abhorrent” and that knowing someone was “not a reason to look away” or remain silent.
“Sam and I share a connection through The Bachelor. I have met him. I know him. He has been kind and supportive to me in the past,” Agnew said. “None of that changes where I stand.”
Referring to the charges, including the allegation of strangulation, Agnew said the alleged behaviour was “abhorrent” and condemned domestic violence “without hesitation, without reservation and in the strongest possible terms”.
“Knowing someone does not require you to defend them. Kindness shown to me does not erase alleged harm done to somebody else,” he said.
Agnew added: “There are some lines where friendship, familiarity and personal history simply cease to matter. This is one of them.”
He said his thoughts were with those affected and hoped they were safe, protected and surrounded by support.
His statement was backed by followers and friends, including The Bachelorette star Cam Cranley, who described it as “well put”.
Wood has since been stood down from 28 by Sam Wood, the fitness and nutrition group he co-founded in 2016.
A statement shared on Monday through Wood, the company and Snezana’s social media accounts said: “This is a difficult time for all of us, we are working through this as a family and are thoroughly co-operating with the authorities.”
