- Zoe Marshall was typically honest in reflective Instagram post
Footy WAG Zoe Marshall has revealed she was ‘performing a character’ instead of actually living her genuine life when her superstar husband Benji was at the peak of his powers in the NRL with the Wests Tigers.
Marshall, whose media career includes stints on radio and TV, has reflected on what she labels a ‘performance era’ when she was arguably the most famous player’s partner in the game.
Now the wife of the Tigers coach, Zoe has revealed the big gap between reality and what fans assume is the glamorous, thrill-a-minute life of fame and a flash lifestyle.
‘She’s still in me. But this version of me was trying so hard to figure it out. Who I was? What I valued?’ she wrote on her Instagram post, which began with a photo of her and Benji at the Dally M Awards in 2011, where he was named the five-eighth of the year.
‘So far from what I am now.
‘This was my TV/hosting/radio era. Performance era.
Footy WAG Zoe Marshall has revealed she was ‘performing a character’ while her husband Benji was at the peak of his powers as this photo was taken in 2011
As Benji Marshall’s footy career skyrocketed, so did the media profile of his wife Zoe (pictured left, with Aussie singer and actress Delta Goodrem)
‘I was good at it, really good. The smile on cue. The outfit that said I belong here.
‘The voice that never cracked on camera. The character that fit perfectly into whatever room I was standing in.
‘But here’s what nobody saw. I was performing, and they were applauding.
‘And somehow that made it harder to stop. When everyone loves the character, it takes real courage to admit you’ve been playing one.
‘That was the hardest part of this era… not the work, the pretending.’
The Marshalls tied the knot in 2013 and have two children – son Benjamin and daughter Ever.
In 2023, the loved-up couple renewed their vows at home, surrounded by family and friends in Sydney.
They sleep in separate beds most nights, due to the footy star having sleep apnea.
Zoe Marshall rubbed shoulders with countless celebrities during her radio stint (Ricky Martin is pictured)
Fast forward to 2026 and Zoe Marshall has admitted she was playing the part when she and Benji were at the height of their footy fame (pictured)
‘It’s a heavy snore,’ Marshall told 7 News.
‘I can sometimes hear it through the wall, and sometimes he’s so loud, I have to actually get up out of bed and, instead of just nudging him, go and give him a good shake.
‘But I think it keeps intimacy alive as well because you have to make the effort.’
Marshall, 41, made his NRL debut as a teenager in 2003 and won a premiership with the Wests Tigers two years later.
The five-eighth retired a superstar of the game almost two decades later and is credited with changing the game with his flamboyant style of play.
After his on-field days were over, he soon turned his attention to coaching.
Marshall replaced Tim Sheens at the Tigers in 2024, and this season the signs are promising for the joint-venture club.
They currently sit in third spot on the NRL ladder as they look to play finals footy for the first time since 2011.
