On this period of wall-to-wall Netflix dramas and true crime documentaries, little or no appears to be past the realms of script-writing potentialities.
However the real-life story of a former Aston Villa star and England Below-21 worldwide dying in a large fireball after crashing his £100,000 Vary Rover right into a van as he headed house after dropping his youngsters off at college had viewers’ jaws on the ground.
Jlloyd Samuel performed 420 matches, together with 240 within the Premier League, in a glittering profession the place he stored a few of the nation’s greatest wingers in his pocket from his place at left-back.
His demise in 2018, aged 37, despatched shockwaves across the footballing world with followers paying tribute to the ex-Bolton defender and sending messages of assist to his spouse Emma Pritchard and youngsters Javarne, Lakyle, and Amara. It rapidly emerged, nonetheless, that that was not all Samuel had left behind. The Trinidad and Tobago-born star had been allegedly main a double life with one other spouse in Iran for 5 years.
And that is not the half of it – he may not truly be lifeless. In a plot twist past even the capabilities of Netflix’s sharpest creatives, two of his closest members of the family – sister Leslie-Ann and second partner Helia Sahimi Lloyd – each preserve that the previous footballer continues to be alive.
Mail Sport delves into the mind-boggling story of Samuel’s secret life as his household struggle to show to the world that he’s nonetheless with us.
Jlloyd Samuel (pictured, with former spouse Emma Pritchard) allegedly lived a secret life
His £100,000 Vary Rover collided with a van as he returned from taking his children to high school
Samuel starred for Aston Villa and Bolton within the Premier League within the 2000s however died aged 37
Born in San Fernando in 1981, Samuel was raised in Bow, East London and was in the identical beginning XI as John Terry and Jermain Defoe for youth aspect Senrab.
After a fast spell at West Ham’s youth aspect, he discovered himself at Aston Villa the place he stayed for a decade, taking part in 199 matches and offering a strong presence in defence, whereas turning out for England’s U21s on seven events.
He transferred to Bolton in 2007, a yr after the start of his first baby, and was Sammy Lee’s first signing as the brand new boss, taking part in persistently for The Trotters earlier than leaving in 2011.
Samuel headed off to play for Esteghlal, the oldest aspect in Iran, the place he met future spouse Sahimi towards the data of his partner Pritchard.
After brief spells at Tehran-based group Esteghlal and Cheshire outfit Egerton, the defender’s profession was tragically reduce brief by the surprising automobile crash in Could 2018 which prompted his demise.
Nevertheless it was solely after the accident that the sensational particulars of Samuel’s parallel life got here to gentle.
In a documentary, produced by ITV in 2022 and launched on Netflix this yr, his spouse Pritchard reveals how she found that she was not solely girl within the soccer star’s world.
Samuel is alleged to have married Helia Sahimi Lloyd (proper) in 2013 and transformed to Islam
Helia (pictured, left, with Samuel) additionally reveals {a photograph} of their marriage certificates
Sahimi described their secret relationship as ‘like being in a dream’ within the documentary
‘I used to be making an attempt to grieve my husband and discover he has one other life. Who’s my husband – do I actually know him?’ she mentioned.
Pritchard had even met the opposite girl on a visit to Dubai, however she had launched herself as a fortune teller.
The mom of Samuel’s three children, Pritchard was mentioned to be in shock after studying of their relationship, which lasted up till his demise.
‘About 4 weeks after Jlloyd’s demise, my buddy mentioned I’ve received one thing to inform you,’ she mentioned.
‘Jlloyd’s received one other spouse, one other girl, and she or he’s simply plastered herself throughout his Instagram as his spouse. I threw up all over the place. I mentioned let me see the Instagram and I regarded and mentioned “oh my god”.’
Iranian designer and singer Helia introduces herself within the documentary as ‘the spouse of Jlloyd Samuel’ describing their relationship as ‘like being in a dream’.
She mentioned: ‘He was extraordinarily romantic and even tried to study Farsi in order that we might converse to one another. I’ll at all times love him.’
Describing their engagement, she added: ‘We had a non-public household social gathering, he purchased me a hoop. He received on one knee and proposed to me. I did not even let him end his phrases.’
Emma Pritchard (left) mentioned she didn’t know in regards to the existence of Sahimi till after the crash
Emma Pritchard (proper) speaks within the documentary about discovering out about his different spouse
The couple had three youngsters, Javarne, Lakyle, and Amara. Samuel died in 2018
Helia revealed that Samuel transformed to Islam in order that they might marry in 2013 and the programme additionally reveals {a photograph} of their marriage certificates.
Pritchard went on to confess she was ‘obsessed’ with the Instagram account of her husband’s secret spouse, and described discovering out about their relationship as a ‘stab within the coronary heart’.
‘There have been even pictures of Jlloyd that he’d despatched to me on journeys to Africa, with crocodiles after which I would see one other image on Helia’s of her with Jloyd in Africa with the crocodiles.
‘It was like a stab within the coronary heart. I am making an attempt to grieve for my husband after which I discover out he is received a full-on different life for seven years. By no means ever has he requested me for a divorce.’
‘So far as I used to be involved we had been positive, we had been nice. The evening earlier than he handed away he was swinging me across the kitchen telling me how a lot he beloved me.’
However issues weren’t as they appeared and Sahimi even as soon as known as Samuel ‘the most effective husband I might have ever requested for’.
Samuel’s two lovers can each agree on their love for the previous England youth star however that’s about the one factor they see eye to eye on, with the pair even disputing if he’s nonetheless alive or not.
Each Sahimi and Samuel’s sister Leslie-Ann suppose the ex-footballer is on the market someplace and MailOnline just lately unearthed a cache of social media posts from his sibling expressing these views.
Sister Leslie Ann mentioned Pritchard has not given permission for police to launch his DNA pattern
Leslie Ann (left) has beforehand falsely alleged that the accident was staged by Pritchard
She mounted a vociferous and sustained marketing campaign on-line to show her extraordinary perception that Samuel was not within the automobile on the time of the collision, continues to be alive and that experiences of his demise are a ‘cowl up’.
She has additionally falsely alleged that the accident was staged by Pritchard so she might financially profit from it.
Samuel’s physique was so badly burned within the fireball that he was solely recognized by way of medical information and a DNA pattern, a coroner’s court docket heard.
Leslie-Ann and Samuel’s household have been demanding that they be allowed to independently take a look at the pattern and protested that they’ve additionally not been given key paperwork and pictures associated to his demise.
In a single submit, accompanied by an image of Samuel with an arrow pointing to his mouth, she writes: ‘Each try is made to cowl up the reality however the proof WILL show the reality. The place is Jlloyd?’
In one other she claims: ‘The individuals concerned on this stage demise have acknowledged they need the fairness from Jlloyds property, additionally they spoke of the large cash coming & about cash OWED.
‘We now have proof that Jlloyd was not within the automobile when it blew!!! up.’
Taking part within the documentary, Pritchard and Sahimi offered vastly contrasting particulars in regards to the accident.
MailOnline unearthed social media posts from his sister Leslie Ann claiming he’s nonetheless alive
Whereas Emma maintains that he was killed in it, his second spouse insists: ‘I consider that my husband continues to be alive. I’ll struggle for him till the top of my life as a result of I consider that the reality will come out.’
However it’s the former Aston Villa star’s sister who has been most outspoken.
In a single submit she claims that Emma has not given permission for the police to launch his DNA pattern and dental information.
She writes: ‘WHERE IS JLLOYD SAMUEL! JLLOYD WAS THREATENED. JLLOYD WAS NOT IN THE RANGE ROVER WHEN IT BLEW.’
The feud between Emma and Samuel’s household got here to a head at Samuel’s inquest in 2019 when the household utilized for permission to have his DNA pattern examined independently, as they didn’t consider it belonged to the previous footballer.
However Emma, who had the ultimate say as Samuel’s subsequent of kin, insisted that she would solely comply with it if Leslie-Ann might assure it was taken to a UK-registered laboratory.
Coroner Alan Moore additionally dismissed the household’s request after explaining {that a} forensic specialist had already in contrast tooth from the physique with Mr Samuel’s dental information and confirmed it was a match.
Offended on the resolution, Leslie-Ann posted: ‘Jlloyd we WILL see you quickly, on this life.’
After leaving Villa in 2007, Samuel (pictured, with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008) went to Bolton
Tributes had been left to Samuel at Aston Villa’s stadium following his tragic demise in 2018
Following the participant’s demise, a minute’s applause was held at Villa Park for his or her former participant
In one other submit she wrote: ‘Jlloyd brother we all know you’re ALIVE and properly and we all know the DNA the pathologist have shouldn’t be your DNA … 100%… Lies…’
In a single submit she claimed: ‘Insurance coverage claims together with different legal acts has since been dedicated ensuing from this depraved act of staging a demise of a beloved one.’
After the inquest listening to, Leslie-Ann vowed that she would receive a court docket order to get Samuel’s DNA pattern examined independently.
However the documentary revealed that to today she has nonetheless not completed this, and that Emma continues to be prepared for impartial testing to happen offered it’s completed within the UK.
In an additional twist to the thriller surrounding his demise, Sahimi claimed that on the day of the accident Samuel was as a result of fly to Morocco to fulfill her and that that they had deliberate to start out a brand new life collectively in Guinea-Bissau, west Africa, the place he was going to open a enterprise dealing in diamonds.
Helia mentioned: ‘He had a number of plans to start out a brand new life. He needed to export diamonds and gold and open a soccer academy. I used to be going to open an Iranian restaurant.’
Samuel might need died greater than six years in the past however the particulars of his destiny are nonetheless bitterly disputed by the 2 warring ladies who had been in his life.
