NRL star Adam Reynold's wife reveals heartbreaking secret about her dad - and the dark battle that nearly tore her family apart

NRL star Adam Reynolds's wife Tallara never knew her mysterious father and only learnt after starting high school he had died the day she was born.

Reynolds reveals in his new autobiography that unanswered questions about Tallara's father Jonathan meant she 'battled plenty of demons later in life'.

The dual premiership-winning halfback discloses in On My Own Terms that Tallara fought a secret cocaine addiction which nearly tore their family apart while he was playing at Souths.

The mother-of-four eventually ended up in a rehabilitation facility after Reynolds learnt of her drug problem and turned to coach Wayne Bennett for help.

'Tallara lived the first twelve or so years of her life knowing very little about Jonathan,' Reynolds writes in On My Own Terms. 

'But not long after starting high school, Tallara was told her dad had passed away. 

'He had died on Christmas Eve, and more than forty-eight hours had passed before his body was found. 

'Despite wanting to know details about who her father was, what he'd done for a living, and what his interests had been, Tallara struggled to get straight answers.'

Tallara, who was born on Christmas Eve and has two younger siblings, Keidan and Jaylee, had difficulty getting information about Jonathan from her mother Brooke.

'About the only two things Tallara established was that Jonathan had worked at a museum, and once kept a pet duck,' he writes. 

'Brooke only told Tallara so much, and while there were a handful of photos to prove his actual existence, the uncertainty led to a lot of unresolved issues later in Tallara's life.' 

Reynolds made his NRL debut for South Sydney in 2012 and played 231 games for the club - winning the 2014 premiership.

He left South Sydney at the end of the 2021 season after the club offered him only a one-year contract extension when he was seeking a longer deal. 

Reynolds signed a three-year contract with the Brisbane Broncos starting in 2022, saying the move provided more security for his family and a fresh challenge. 

The 35-year-old later admitted it was difficult leaving the Rabbitohs and he had experienced mixed emotions watching his former teammates struggle after his departure. 

It was super coach Bennett to whom Reynolds turned when he learnt Tallara had begun using cocaine at home after a few drinks while he was away playing football on weekends. 

Her use escalated, and Tallara started taking the drug without alcohol, leading to emotional breakdowns and threats to harm herself, including one night when she locked herself in the bathroom in hysterics. 

Reynolds believes that without the guidance of coach Wayne Bennett, who was leading Souths at the time, his relationship with his childhood sweetheartwould not have survived.

'Wayne prides himself on being able to turn young men into good footballers but even better people,' Reynolds writes.

'I hadn't spoken about Tallara's struggles with anybody, and became emotional the second I started to open up to Wayne on this particular day.

'With the help of some of the club's welfare staff, Tallara spent a month at a rehabilitation clinic in inner-western Sydney at the start of 2020.'

Since then, Tallara has beaten her addiction and their family unit is stronger than ever.  

'It's one thing to battle addiction, but it's another to share your story with everyone else - I couldn't be prouder of Tallara,' Reynolds told The Sydney Morning Herald.

'It was an extremely brave thing to do. I won't lie, with the book about to come out, she's been a bit nervous about what the reaction will be. People are always going to judge.

'But by being so honest, Tallara knows she can help other people, other mothers, who might be in a similar situation, and remind them they are not alone.'

Reynolds said the couple told their children about their mother's drug battle when he began writing the book about 12 months ago.

'They were too young at the time when Tallara was struggling, so there were no flashbacks for them,' he said. 

'If anything, they felt sorry for Tallara because they never wanted their mum to feel that way.

'The fact Tallara shared her knowledge and told her story of overcoming addiction has taught our own girls a valuable life lesson.'

Reynolds, who won another premiership with the Broncos this year, said Tallara had felt 'all alone' but that '99 per cent of people' wanted to see her do well and beat her drug problem.

'It was a tough time for us,' he said. 'I had no idea about the drugs, and was angry at first.

'Wayne played a big role in saving our marriage. I wrote about what he did to help us in the book, but there will be a lot of conversations at that time I will keep private.

'I'll forever be grateful to Wayne for helping Tallara and I. Our marriage could not be any better. Tallara is doing so well. Like I said, I'm really proud of her.'