AFL WAG Jordan Ablett sheds tears in heartbreaking post about upcoming memoir: 'I've cried many tears'

Jordan Ablett broke down in tears on Wednesday as she shared a lengthy message about a recent breakdown she had.

The AFL WAG, 33, who is the wife of Geelong champ Gary Ablett Jr, told her Instagram followers she has 'unexpected anxiety' over the upcoming release of her memoir.

Posting a selfie of herself 'wiping away tears', she said she has been crying over her tell-all book One Day At A Time, which will discuss, among other things, the challenges of raising a child with a disability. 

Jordan and Gary are parents to five-year-old son Levi, who suffers from a rare degenerative illness that severely impacts his respiratory system.

They have never disclosed Levi's exact illness, but have confirmed he has a shortened life expectancy.

'Not a very glamorous photo, but at least a real one,' Jordan wrote alongside the image of her covering her eyes with her hand, which featured her huge diamond wedding rings.

'This is me wiping my tears in a moment when they wouldn't stop running. I don't normally pick up my phone at a time like this and snap it. But, it felt real and it captured the reality of how I've been feeling lately,' she continued.

'During the past month, I've been extra busy working on my book in order for it to be ready in time. The entire task has been a roller coaster, but as I approach the finish line, not once while in the process have I felt like I've gone this low as I get closer to it going to print and it becoming so real.

'If I'm to be completely honest with you, not that long ago, I considered slamming the book shut and not publishing it. The feeling of opening myself up to the world is daunting, and has brought me unexpected anxiety, something that I've been struggling with and have had to work through. 

'I've constantly had to remind myself of the bigger picture in the opportunity to share. I've cried many tears. I've felt overwhelmed, under pressure and exhausted.'

Jordan went on to say she drew strength from the title of her book, One Day At A Time, saying it 'encouraged' her to 'finish what I started' instead of getting 'overwhelmed' by the process of writing a memoir. 

'From the very beginning I said that I wanted to share my story to offer encouragement and hope to the lives of others. Unless my book had a purpose, I wasn't interested in writing one for the sake of it,' she added. 

'I'm so grateful for the people who have stood beside me, held me and encouraged me. Those who have reminded me that I'm on the homestretch. Someone recently told me "a book is never finished, it just goes to print" and it's so true! 

'If I had my way, I'd be working on the book forever. And not because I'm not giving it everything, but because I'm giving it everything. I care so much about it, the people in it and the story that I'm telling.'

Jordan finished her lengthy message by thanking the people who 'showed me so much kindness' with their 'thoughtful message of love'. 

It's not the first time Jordan has opened up about the tears she's shed over her memoir, as she revealed in October that she hopes the book will offer hope to other parents who share similar challenges to her.  

'I am so excited to finally share with you all that I have been working hard behind the scenes for almost one year now, writing my very own book!' she said in a lengthy post.

'I can’t begin to explain how special this feels for me, and for my family, who have journeyed all of life’s highs and lows with me, feeling every single bump and joy along the way.

'There have been plenty of tears cried while writing this book, both happy and sad tears, but being able to share my story, and hopefully encourage others, has made all "the feels" worth it. 

'I hope that by reading my story, parents of children with a disability will feel less alone, more capable, and will, if they don’t already, look at their child through a different lens, seeing them as what they are, a genuine treasure!'

Jordan also thanked her family and close friends in the touching message and ended her share with a heartbreaking tribute to her little boy and her late mother.

'Last, but certainly not least, to our boy Levi, who brings us so much joy, and to my dearly missed and adored mum... I love you,' she said.

Jordan and Gary share two other children: daughter Grace, two, and their youngest son, Ezra, one.

Jordan recently spoke warmly of the beautiful bond forming between Levi and his sister Grace and brother Ezra.

'Grace is now nearly two-and-a-half and they’ve got a super cute connection and even having Ez who is seven-months now, it’s nice to surround Levi with children,' she told The Herald Sun in March last year.

While the family cherishes the good times, Jordan acknowledged the growing complexities that come with Levi's condition as he gets older.

'Everyone keeps asking how he's doing and he's pretty much the same to be honest,' she shared.

'I feel like we sound a bit repetitive but he's getting older and he's growing which means there are more challenges that are arising but we're managing.'

One Day at a Time will be published by Harper Collins on April 2, 2025.