'He is a cheater': How explosive claims about Sam Wood were buried by 'nice guy' PR makeover - as wife Snezana breaks cover without her ring

Alarming claims about Sam Wood have reemerged this week as The Bachelor star remains behind bars ahead of his next bid for bail in the Supreme Court this Friday. 

The 46-year-old has been in jail for three weeks after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence offences against his wife Snezana following an alleged assault at their $3,000-a-night Noosa holiday rental.

A report from September 2015 that coincided with Wood's appearance on the dating series, before he chose Snezana as his partner, claimed that he was using his newfound fame to attract other women. 

'Make no mistake – Sam is a player, he is a ladies' man and a cheater. Sam is very much living a single life,' a friend of Wood's told New Idea at the time.

They added that Wood had reached an agreement with Bachelor producers to keep this side of him off TV screens.

'Sam and the girl he picks have agreed to maintain a bit of a low profile and keep up appearances of dating for a few months to make it more believable,' they said. 

Meanwhile, another insider told the publication that Wood was spending his spare time at 'trendy bars' and 'entertaining girls in Bali at a private villa'. 

'That's hardly acting like a man who has found the person he wants to marry,' they said.

They claimed that Wood was such a party boy that he couldn't even remember making out with his former Bachelor co-star Bec Chin while in Bali.

'He is such a sleazebag. The fact that he couldn't even remember Bec. How many girls have you been with not to remember one that you talked to, posed for photos with and kissed?' they said.

The Daily Mail has contacted Wood's former Bachelor co-stars Lana Jeavons-Fellows and Bec Chin for comment.

This New Idea article was among the last significant pieces of negative coverage involving Wood before he successfully rehabilitated his PR image in the wake of The Bachelor, reinventing himself as a family-friendly stepfather and entrepreneur.

From early 2016 onwards, media reports about Wood were generally gushing, focusing on his seemingly perfect family life and endless business success.

However, Wood did hint at his cheating past in a Kyle and Jackie O Show interview from the year he appeared on the Channel Ten dating show.

Answering a barrage of questions from Kyle Sandilands, who described him as a 'very good-looking man with abs', Wood said of his romantic past: 'It's a bit of a grey one...

'I know that sounds dodgy, but a girl I was seeing for a little while... I wasn't of the opinion we were seeing each other... She thought we were more solid and I didn't realise.'

Meanwhile, this week saw a 2024 social media clip of Wood and Snezana resurface.

The video showed the pair doing a quick 'fit check' in public, in which they both showcased their activewear.

Snezana began by introducing herself before tripping over her words.

'I couldn't say my name, I just got muddled up!' she joked, as Wood stared blankly at her in silence, shaking his head as Snezana met his eyes.

She finally managed to share what she was wearing as Wood remained silent, only perking up once the microphone was handed to him to speak. 

Her social media followers have recently commented on the clip, claiming that Wood's behaviour was concerning.

'When she looked at him she was expecting him to laugh,' one person wrote.

'This video speaks a thousand words,' a second added.

Meanwhile, Snezana was spotted looking tense as she stepped out in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, once again without her wedding ring.

The 46-year-old appeared deep in conversation on her mobile phone as she strolled through the city in a casual ensemble.

She wore an oversized leather jacket, left unzipped over black exercise pants and matching boots, while a white Ralph Lauren baseball cap added a designer touch to her look.

She was accompanied by her four-year-old daughter Harper.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Snezana reached out to a friend last year looking for a way out of her eight-year marriage to Wood.

A friend of Snezana told the Herald Sun that the mother-of-four had been struggling behind the scenes, despite the couple's seemingly picture-perfect public image.

'Everyone has known what's gone on. It was an open secret in Brighton. Snezana wanted to find a way out,' the friend said.

The claims come as Wood prepares to make another bid for bail in the Supreme Court later this week.

Earlier this month, Wood fronted Maroochydore Magistrates' Court over the alleged offences against Snezana on October 3, who is fully supportive of the charges being pursued.

Prosecutors alleged he pushed Snezana into a wardrobe, grabbed her by the throat, threw her against a wall and struck her head against the floor during the incident, which was witnessed by her daughter Eve, 21, who called triple-0. 

When he faced court in Queensland, police prosecutor Sergeant Jeanette Grigoris noted he had previously choked Snezana in a similar incident.

Sergeant Grigoris said Wood had not been charged over that alleged attack but told the court his behaviour had been 'escalating'.

It is alleged that a row broke out in Noosa ahead of the couple returning to Melbourne, and Snezana was pushed into a wardrobe before Eve intervened.

The court heard Eve told Wood to stop shouting, prompting him to approach her 'aggressively' before Snezana tried to get between them. 

He is then alleged to have put his hands around Snezana's throat and forced her to the floor, where he pinned her down and banged her head, leaving her unable to breathe.

She told police: 'This was it… my life was going to end,' and said she thought Wood was 'going to kill me', the court heard. 

Snezana had also told police Wood was 'volatile and prone to angry outbursts', and said she had to 'walk on eggshells around him'.

Mr Cuskelly said his client suffered from severe depression and might rely on self-defence if the case went to trial.