'Unfair': Sam Newman breaks silence on cause of his wife's death
AFL identity Sam Newman has spoken for the first time about the cause of his wife Amanda Brown's tragic death.
The 75-year-old was left shattered last month after discovering the body of Brown lying unresponsive on the floor of their Docklands apartment.
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Newman and Brown had been in a relationship for two decades, but were only married last November.
Ambulance Victoria said paramedics were called to the home after reports of a cardiac arrest, with reports at the time stating Brown had suffered a “medical condition”.
Newman has now shed light on the devastating tragedy during an emotional interview with Channel 7.
“What do I miss about her? I miss everything about her,” Newman told 7News.
The former Geelong star and long-time co-host of the AFL's Footy Show said his wife's death - which he revealed was caused by an aneurysm - came as a massive shock.
“She had no illnesses or underlying health problems,” Newman said.
“Just to come home under those circumstances and find her where she was … well, I’ll just never forget that.
“The autopsy said she died from an aneurysm, a stroke. I have no idea what brought that on.
“Knowing she was dead, that is just so surreal. You just think, ‘This is not happening’.
“It seems absolutely unfair and I actually often thought I would rather it be me than her. But then she’d be probably feeling like I do.”
Newman first spoke about his wife's death on his podcast last month, where he revealed how he performed CPR on his wife for 20 minutes before she was pronounced dead.
AFL legend Sam Newman has spoken for the first time since the sudden death of his wife, Amanda.
The 75-year-old performed CPR for 20 minutes after finding her unconscious on the floor of their apartment. #9Today pic.twitter.com/5DakkmAMrC— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) May 5, 2021
Newman's devastating act after wife's death
And in a harrowing insight, Newman also opened up about his heartbreaking actions in the hours immediately after the tragedy.
“When I got home after the coroner and the police had been and the ambulance, I got into bed," the 75-year-old said on his You Cannot Be Serious podcast.
"Now here’s the interesting thing … I sleep on the left-hand side of the bed and my partner Amanda sleeps on the right-hand side.
“And when I got in after the ambulance had been and the police and the coroner, I didn’t think about this, I just instinctively got into her side of the bed.
"I was lying there for about half an hour and I thought, ‘What am I doing on this side of the bed?’
“I tried to go to sleep. The coroner left at about one in the morning and at about half-past two I thought I’d have a crack at going to sleep, and of course I couldn’t.”
Newman played 300 games for Geelong from 1964 to 1980, was named club Best and Fairest in 1968 and 1975 and is a member of Geelong's Team of the 20th Century and Hall of Fame.
He was named in the All-Australian team in 1969 and inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame after his retirement.
Newman has since forged a successful career in the media but admits he's found it difficult to cope with life without his partner.
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