Healthy meal company Foxes Den drops former The Bachelor star Sam Wood after domestic assault charge

A ready-made meal company has ended its partnership with a fitness influencer and former The Bachelor star after he was accused of assaulting his wife.  

Sam Wood is set to spend several nights in custody before applying for bail on Thursday over his weekend arrest on the Sunshine Coast.

The 46-year-old Melbourne resident was arrested after police received reports of an incident at a Noosa property on Saturday night where he is holidaying.

He was charged on Sunday with the domestic violence offence of assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting.

He has been stood down indefinitely by the online fitness empire he fronts as of Monday, and now another of his business ventures is in jeopardy.

Foxes Den said on Monday that it would end its partnership with 28 by Sam Wood ‘effective immediately’.

‘We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the charges involving Sam Wood,’ the company posted to Instagram.

‘While this matter is before the courts, we’ve made the decision to step away from this partnership.’ 

Wood’s lawyer, Matthew Cuskelly, confirmed he would apply for bail after the matter appeared in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday.

‘He’s simply worried about his family. A bail application will be heard on Thursday. The charges will be defended,’ he said.

Foxes Den was founded in 2011 by the Dyt and Mims families and is based out of Melbourne. 

The pre-packaged meal company has worked with 28 by Sam Wood for the last six years. 

A Wood family statement was posted on social media on Monday addressing the charges.

It was shared with Wood’s 253,000 Instagram followers, saying the family was ‘working through this’.

‘This is a difficult time for all of us,’ the statement said.

‘We are working through this as a family and are thoroughly co-operating with the authorities.’

His wife, Snezana – who he met on The Bachelor – also shared the statement on social media, marking her first comment since the arrest.

Wood earned a national profile as a star of The Bachelor’s third season in 2015, going on to found his successful home fitness business, ’28 By Sam Wood’.

He sold it in 2022 but remained the face of the online platform.

The charges are allegations only and are yet to be tested in court. 

The wellness businesses behind the platform on Monday said Wood had been stood down indefinitely following the charges.

‘DBG Health, the parent company of 28 by Sam Wood, has zero tolerance for domestic violence,’ a DBG Health spokesperson said.

‘While the matter is under investigation and before the court, Sam Wood is on indefinite leave from his duties. Our thoughts are with the family and anyone in the community affected by domestic violence.’

Mark Watkins, 28 Group’s Chief Operating Officer, would be leading the business in Wood’s absence, it said.

‘We have all been shocked and saddened by the matters involving Sam Wood,’ Mr Watkins said in a separate statement posted across the fitness and nutrition business’s social media platforms on Monday.

Queensland Police on Monday confirmed Wood was charged after officers received reports of alleged domestic violence and attended a Hastings Street address about 9pm on Saturday.

Wood did not appear in court when his matter was heard on Monday.

It was adjourned until Thursday for the bail application.

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