Heartbroken Aussie Home Loans boss James Symond reveals tragic death of beloved wife Amelia just two days before Christmas

Millionaire mortgage broker James Symond has shared a heartfelt tribute to his late wife and mother of their young daughter after she died just two days before Christmas.

The former CEO of Aussie Home Loans told friends he was overcome with grief in an emotional post titled ‘Amelia Beau Finlay Symond, Rest in Paradise December 23, 2024’ on a social media page for the company’s former staff.

Mr Symond, the cousin of ‘Aussie’ company founder John Symond, confided that he felt ‘terrified and heartbroken’ after losing his Amelia, but was determined to stay strong for the sake of their five-year-old girl, Stella Rose.

“I have searched all my life for my dear wife,” the retired real estate agent wrote in the emotional tribute.

‘The adoring mother of our five-year-old daughter, Stella Rose, and the absolute love of my life.

“Little Stella and I are devastated to have lost you in heaven today.

“God only knows how I will get through this, but I have to get through this for the sake of our beautiful daughter.

‘Darling, I am what I am today because of you, my golden ray of sunshine. God speed and until we meet again, my beautiful girl.”

Mr Symond did not provide details about his late wife’s cause of death, but previously revealed that the former actor had battled stage four breast cancer.

Her condition was diagnosed by doctors less than two years after Mr Symond received his own fatal cancer diagnosis and was given just weeks to live.

In his candid message, the 52-year-old said his ongoing health struggles were so serious that his family always expected him to be “the first” to leave.

“Thank you God for lending us all your angel and then giving me another one called Stella Rose,” Mr Symond said.

‘Way too early to leave us because I would be the first.

‘I’m terrified and broke, but I just won’t break.

“You are simply everything to us and you are missed more than words can ever say.

‘We can’t stop crying. My heart is in pieces.’

Mr Symond, whose father Michael lent brother John $10,000 to start Aussie Home Loans in February 1992, led the family business, serving as CEO for six years before retiring at the end of 2021.

His shock resignation stunned the industry after decades of grooming him to replace his uncle, who had just retired as company chairman after nearly three decades at the helm of the company.

However, it soon became clear that Mr Symond had bigger concerns and has since spoken candidly about his and his wife’s cancer battle.

Appearing on fellow high-profile mortgage broker Mark Bouris’ podcast four months ago, Mr Symond opened up about their devastating circumstances and the difficulties they have faced together over the past seven years.

He said he just got one business meeting before Christmas in December 2017, when he suddenly felt faint and had to sit on the footpath outside the Ivy on George St in Sydney to recover.

Feeling that something was wrong, he went to the doctor where he was the next day diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

“I said, ‘What? What are you talking about? What do you mean?'” he told Bouris during the podcast.

‘They said: ‘We found out early, we think, but you have bone marrow cancer’, and within 24 hours I was seeing the oncologist and the kidney specialist.

“They tell myself and my fiancée that I might have six to 10 weeks to live, and that’s it, and I need to get my affairs in order.”

After spending a sleepless night together, fearing the worst, his doctor told them that all was not lost.

“The doctor said, ‘Look, good news. We think we have a plan. And we think these six to 10 weeks could last maybe six to 10 years,'” he said.

‘So this was six years ago. Six and a half years ago… so I’ve been traveling for six and a half years. With multiple myeloma you never get into complete remission, I’ve been through hell and back.’

He said he has since undergone a bone marrow transfusion and stem cell transplant and now requires daily dialysis for kidney disease and regular chemotherapy.

“I had a bone marrow transplant, which is extraordinary,” he said.

‘They take bone marrow from your body, turn it around, clean it and put it back. But you spend two and a half weeks in St Vincent’s Hospital, in a locked room on a locked floor where no one can visit you because you are dying.

‘I don’t know how long I’ve been here – five years? Twenty-five years? Certainly not fifty, unless there is a cure for multiple myeloma, so I fit in as much as possible.’

Just when he hoped he would overcome his cancer diagnosis, came the devastating news that his wife was also fighting her own battle with cancer.

“The next thing I know, my wife is actually really sick too, so she has breast cancer, stage four of breast cancer,” he told Bouris.

“So you can imagine the hell we’re going through with that, and she has been through that over the years.

‘And again, we’re throwing everything at it. We’re trying to reinvent the rule book, but it’s been extremely difficult.

“You know, the man upstairs gives you a lot of presents and a lot of good things, you know, a lot of rainbows, and he also gives you a lot of damn challenges.

“And so I’ve had my fair share of wins, and I’ve had my fair share of absolute challenges with myself and now with my wife.

“So thank God I have a beautiful four-and-a-half-year-old daughter who definitely keeps you focused, but it’s bloody tough. It’s very hard, you know.’

In a tragic update on his wife’s deteriorating condition, Mr Symond said last Saturday that his wife was just days away from death.

“Merry Christmas… it’s a damn tough call for my immediate family this time as my wife is still very ill,” he said in a post on the group’s social media page.

‘Cancer is just terrible. Hold your loved ones close, because tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Difficult times. God bless.’