NRL star Bryce Cartwright subject of restraining order to protect anti-vaxxer ex-wife Shanelle

NRL star Bryce Cartwright will front a Sydney court this week after police took out a restraining order to protect his anti-vaxxer ex-wife.

Cartwright split from his former wife Shanelle early last year, just months after walking away from a $450,000-a-season contract with the Gold Coast Titans. 

The 27-year-old forward returned to New South Wales in September 2020 with Shanelle, the mother of his two children, citing personal reasons. He now plays for the Parramatta Eels.

Police have sought an apprehended violence order against Cartwright on behalf of Shanelle and the footballer is due to appear in Waverley Local Court on Thursday.

An interim order states that Cartwright must not assault, threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate his former partner as well as other standard conditions he not damage her property or harm any animal she owns. 

Cartwright is not facing any criminal charges. 

An incident which led to the AVO being sought was described by sources as a ‘domestic dispute’ which was in no way physical, according to The Daily Telegraph. 

The former couple’s beliefs about vaccinations, expressed mostly on social media, were widely condemned by medical experts in 2020. 

At the time of their parting, Cartwright’s agent Allan Gainey of Pinnacle Sports Management said the split was a ‘personal matter’. 

‘Look, the kid is in a good spot at the moment and I want to keep him in that spot,’ Gainey said in January last year. ‘He doesn’t need any publicity surrounding his personal life.’ 

Concerns for Cartwright’s mental state began after he and Shanelle were sent a number of threats on social media due to their controversial stance on vaccinations.

Some of the threats involved harming the couple’s young children.

‘At some point it does take a toll,’ Cartwright said at the time. ‘I speak to a counsellor every now and then just to clear my mind.

‘I have little things I like to do, like meditation… it clears my head and can be as simple as just going for a swim, staying off my phone or taking the kids to the beach.’ 

Cartwright, a standout Penrith junior before making his first grade debut in 2014, was granted permission to continue playing in the NRL in May 2020 despite refusing a mandatory influenza vaccination.

That vaccination was part of the NRL’s return-to-play regulations at the height of the Covid pandemic. 

The Titans submitted an application for a medical exemption which was granted by Queensland’s chief medical officer Jeannette Young.

Cartwright and his wife sparked then controversy when they publicly declared they would not vaccinate their young children.

The couple called themselves ‘pro-choice’ rather than ‘anti-vax’.

Once touted as a NSW State of Origin prospect following a strong start to his career with the Panthers, Cartwright made the move to the Titans to work under ex-coach Garth Brennan in 2018. 

He played just three games for Gold Coast in 2020 before linking with Parramatta, where he made 19 appearances last year. 

Cartwright has turned out for the Eels seven times this year, including coming off the bench in a 36-20 win over Manly on Friday night.