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4 months ago
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AFL star Christian Petracca has surfaced with fiancée Bella Beischer in his first public appearance since his season was ended by a sickening injury that saw him rushed to hospital for surgery.
The Demons gun was left with four broken ribs, a punctured lung and lacerated spleen when Collingwood's Darcy Moore accidentally kneed him on June 10 - and when he left hospital he was still in so much pain, Beischer had to help him with basic everyday tasks.
Petracca and Beischer were spotted walking in a Melbourne park on Tuesday, just hours before he gave an emotional TV interview that saw him almost break down in tears as he opened up about the toll his injury has taken on his loved ones - and revealed a new detail about his health battle.
'The first few weeks were pretty traumatic, to be honest,' he told Fox Sports' AFL 360 show.
'[I was in] ICU, into a ward, and then in and out of hospital.
'I got rushed back into hospital about a week ago early in the morning for a few check-ups. I woke up with a few complaints and went straight to hospital.
'It's been quite stressful, it's something I've never experienced.
'My first year I did my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament in the knee] and I was a bit young and naive and brash and didn't understand the severity of the injury. Now, at 28, it's a lot different.'
Petracca and his fiancée Bella Beischer are pictured on a walk in Melbourne as the Demons star was seen in public for the first time since suffering the worst moment of his footy career
The Demons star has had to lean on his partner to help him do basic, everyday tasks after suffering four broken ribs and severe internal injuries against Collingwood on June 10
Petracca said the hardest thing about the injury was its impact on his fiancée
Petracca then struggled to hold back tears as he revealed the impact on Beischer and family after he had to isolate himself for the first 10 days he spent at home in order to guard against infection.
'I'm getting quite emotional thinking about it ... probably more on how it's impacted my fiancée ... that's probably been the hardest thing, to be honest,' he said.
'It's been challenging for both of us, but we're getting through it.
'The support I've received from everyone, it's been remarkable - my fiancée, my parents, my family, her parents, my friends, the whole footy world - it's been awesome.
The 28-year-old had to have a blood transfusion at 2am after suffering internal bleeding as a result of the accidental hit by Pies star Darcy Moore (pictured)
He was on the verge of tears as he revealed the toll his health battle has taken on his loved ones during a TV interview on Tuesday night (pictured)
'But it's still really raw for me.'
Shortly after the injury it was reported that Petracca's family were angry with the Melbourne Demons club after he was allowed to return to the field shortly after the hit.
The club vehemently denied that, but the star confirmed that his loved ones weren't happy with the situation, saying there was a 'degree of frustration'.
'What you’ve got to understand is that my parents and my fiancée were the only people that could see me in ICU,' he explained.
'There’s probably a little degree of frustration and emotion to it because they’re the only ones that knew the severity of the injury … and they saw me [and] that I needed blood transfusions at 2am.'
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