Australian rugby sevens star and Olympic gold medalist Ellia Green has revealed he is struggling with the loss of ‘Aunt Bev’ Brock and the ‘unconditional love’ she provided at some of the toughest points in his life.
Bev Brock, Peter Brock’s long-time partner, died last month at her Melbourne home aged 77, two years after she was diagnosed with stage four cancer.
Green, who underwent gender transition surgery in 2022, said Brock was so helpful she was practically family.
“She was like a second mother to me,” Green said News Corp.
Ellia Green is pictured on the right with partner Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts and daughter Waitui
Green says he is devastated by the loss of family friend Bev Brock (pictured) after she played a huge role in his life
‘I called her all the time. Maybe not every day, but a lot. Just to tell her everything; when I applied for a new job, the news of my baby’s birth… all the good things that were happening in my life.
‘But then also the worst news. I had some mental health issues, especially since I lost my mother, and whenever I just didn’t know what to do anymore, I would call her and she would tell me everything I didn’t want to hear.
“Her advice was always sassy, which I liked because I needed it. I loved her honesty, sometimes I didn’t like it, but I needed it.
“She always put my thoughts back in their place.”
Green, who has kept the same name, has stated that switching to male was the best decision he ever made – but it wasn’t easy and Brock was always there to help.
“She just showed unconditional love,” Green said.
‘I think her first reaction to me was: ‘I just want you to be happy and I can see you – you are Ellia, you are my Ellia’.
“The way she didn’t care…she never changed the way she loves me, no matter who I am or what I do.
Green scores a try during the Women’s Rugby Sevens World Cup final in 2018. He has since retired after an illustrious career, including winning Olympic gold in 2016
Green says Brock was like a mother to him and was always available for advice
‘It’s rare that you have people like that in your life who only see that.
“No other fluff, it’s real and that’s what I see as true love.”
Green – whose father was a motorsport journalist and close friend of Peter Brock – also had dark periods when his sporting career came to an end.
It led to something of a downward spiral for Green, as it has for many athletes, with disappointments in the sporting world associated with a kind of blight on his character – a devastating reality that has led to serious mental health issues for many athletes.
“I had so many mental health issues, especially since I lost my mother,” Green said.
“The mental health challenges of not being picked for Tokyo, how everything that happened then was so dark in terms of how my career ended and also the impact of social media post-transition.
‘Mostly positive, but there were also many terrible things.
‘Retiring after Tokyo was a huge blow to my soul… it was a huge change, not just in my career, but in everything.
‘I think the best advice she ever said to me – it’s very difficult because she’s said so many things – is actually that you can choose how much you let things get to you.
“You can choose to… absorb all the bullshit from outside, or you can go on with your life and shine like you, and that’s you.
‘She said to me, ‘If you insulted yourself, do you really think your mother would want to see you?’ She said, “Absolutely not because she would be so mad at you.”
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