'My kids can see that hurt in me': League legend Wendell Sailor opens up about the heartbreak of never being able to get answers from his birth mother about his adoption
- Wendell Sailor was adopted at two days old and met his mother as a teenager
- Sailor said he and his mother didn't have a good relationship before she died
- The 45-year-old said he never got to ask why she had given him up for adoption
Rugby League and Union legend, Wendell Sailor, will never know the reason why his birth mother gave him up for adoption before she tragically died six months ago.
Sailor, 45, who represented Australia in both codes, was given up for adoption at just two days old but only found out the details when he started high school.
Speaking on Triple M's program Dead Set Legends, Sailor said he was never able to get close to his birth mother, which has left a lot of 'hollow things' in his life.
Wendell Sailor, 45, (pictured) has revealed he never asked his birth mother why she gave him up for adoption before she died six months ago
He was adopted by his birth mother's neighbours Daniel and Alison Sailor and went to build a successful sporting career.
When he was 15-years-old, he met his birth mother for the first time.
'I didn't really have a good relationship with her because once I heard what she had gone through to get here I didn't really feel sorry for her,' he said.
'The older I got the more angry I got because I didn't really ask her all the questions.'
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Sailor said his mother had six children with four different partners and last year after battling cancer died of a heart attack.
'It's funny I never got to ask my mum why she gave me up, I've had family members tell me why and what hurts me now is I found out six months ago she passed away and nobody really told me.'
'I know my kids can see that hurt in me and sometimes I just wish I would have asked why she gave me up for adoption. That's the hard one.
The Rugby League and Union star was adopted at just two days old and never met his birth mother until he was in his teenage years
'I'm sure she's got a great explanation but I'm never going to know now.'
Sailor also revealed he had never met his birth father.
'It was tough, because I never actually dealt with it. For me and my mental health, that's something I always go back to - abandonment,' he said.
'There's some hollow things in my life.'
Sailor is now a father-of-three, with his son Tristan following in his footsteps and already donning the St George uniform at 21.
Sailor is now a father-of-three with his son Tristan (pictured together) following in his footsteps and already donning the St George uniform at 21
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