Content warning: This article contains references to domestic violence and may be triggering to some readers.

Farmer Wants a Wife’s Sam Messina allegedly has several domestic violence allegations against him by an ex-girlfriend.

On episode 88 of So Dramatic! With Megan Putsetto, one reliable source claimed that Sam was charged with four counts of assault and two counts of stalking prior to filming Farmer Wants a Wife.  

Upon some further investigation, we found evidence that the reality TV star has an apprehended domestic violence order taken out against him, with the NSW man due to appear back in court in September.

We reached out to Sam for comment but he has not responded at the time of writing.

The bombshell allegations were also reported on A Current Affair, adding that he was also arrested and charged with unlawful entry, taking the allegation count to seven.  

To recap:  Four counts of assault as well as one count each of harassment, stalking and unlawful entry.  

The ex-girlfriend, who was not named by the current affairs program, says she entered into a relationship with the alleged farmer in January 2019 before moving in with him in December of the same year, which is when the relationship turned volatile.

In addition to the physical and verbal violence the ex-girlfriend was subjected to, Sam also allegedly took the woman’s two pet rabbits and threatened to sell or kill them before blocking her on all social media in February of this year.  She says she was eventually able to get a hold of him, who eventually returned the pets to their owner.  

Sam’s lawyer Mathew Ward released a statement that vehemently denies the claims against the alleged farmer.

“Mr Messina has no criminal history,” the statement reads.  “He has always strongly denied the allegations and cooperated with police in their investigation.”

Sam has constantly been at the centre of controversy while appearing on the reality show with claims he is a truck driver and not a farmer at all, and also that he had a girlfriend on the down-low while filming.  

The truckie-turned-reality star took to Instagram last week to reject these claims too, which you can read more about here.

The fake farmer isn’t the only one from the (naïvely dubbed) “wholesome” series to find themselves on the wrong side of the law — in May this year FWAW 2016 alum Matt Goyder plead guilty to owning and distributing child pornography and was sentenced to two years in prison by the Discrict Court of Western Australia.

The farmer, who fell in love with model April Vaughan on the hit show, was arrested in February 2020 after being caught sending videos depicting child sexual abuse to an undercover officer from the WA Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team via WhatsApp.

God, it really makes you wonder whether the producers on this show do thorough background checks — at this stage we’re more reliable than the casting crews for reality TV.  

If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs support, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline on 13 11 14, both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. You can also talk to someone from 1800RESPECT via online chat. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram, and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.