MARRIED At First Sight Australia star Jessika Power broke down in tears as she opened up about the brutal death of her ex-boyfriend.
Sam Abdulrahim, a gangland figure and boxer known as “the Punisher”, was shot and killed in a daytime attack in Preston, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday morning.
He was just 34 and had already survived several attempts on his life, including seven shootings and a prison beating.
Jessika and Sam briefly dated shortly after her stint on the reality show in 2019.
Despite the whirlwind romance ending after only 20 months, the pair remained friends.
Jessika went on to appear on Big Brother VIP, Ex on the Beach, and Celebs Go Dating alongside the likes of Abz Love from 5ive and Made in Chelsea star Miles Nazaire.
Speaking to Daily Mail about his death, Jessika struggled to speak as she said: “It’s been really, really hard to hear.
“We ended on really good terms. He’s always been supportive to me if I needed him, even up until a few months ago.
“I just feel so sad for his wife and his child – she’s going to grow up without a dad and it’s such a toxic world to be in that underworld thing.”
Despite his gangland connections, Jessika said former Mongols biker Abdulrahim was a “great protector” and a “family man” who looked after those around him.
“He’s a dad, he’s a husband, he’s someone’s son and he’s just a really good guy.”
Daily Mail Australia reported Abdulrahim was in hiding at the time of his death after multiple attempts had been made on his life.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Married At First Sight star reveals new boyfriend saying ‘this wasn’t on my card for 2025’ ” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6367075880112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Victoria Police said in a statement: “Emergency services were called to reports a man had been shot in a car park on High Street in Preston shortly after 10.30am on Tuesday, January 28.
“The man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene. Police have cordoned off the area and a crime scene is in place.
“At this early stage, police believe the incident was targeted.”
It is reported Abdulrahim had “made enemies over the years” including crime bosses in Australia and the Middle East.
In 2022, he was shot six times while attending his cousin’s funeral in Melbourne.
Two years later, the Aussie puncher won the WBC Australian cruiserweight championship – which was almost scuppered when the venue was firebombed.
He previously served two years of a three-years-and-three-months jail sentence after pleading guilty to the 2015 killing 88-year-old Muriel Hulett, a great-grandmother, in a high-speed car crash.
The tragic death comes less than a week after Jessika went public with her new romance, Ryan Loveridge
Like Jessika, the boat builder from Plymouth previously appeared on an episode of Celebs Go Dating in 2019.
Jessika joked that it “wasn’t on her bingo card for 2025” to find a new relationship, having split with another boyfriend at the end of last year.
