Jai Arrow’s wife Berina Colakovic has opened up about the shattering effects of his motor neurone disease diagnosis, which has left her asking if their one-year-old daughter will grow to know who her father is.
The former Souths star and his love married in a secret ceremony in Sydney’s CBD on July 5, opting to bring the wedding forward by several months because he was worried the effects of MND would leave him unable to say ‘I do’ if they waited.
Arrow and Colakovic’s baby girl Ayla was there when they tied the knot, with her father previously revealing that she’s a huge inspiration for him as he devotes himself to fighting the incurable condition.
Now Colakovic – a Canadian digital marketer who met Arrow in 2021 – has admitted to being in denial about her husband’s health battle before the diagnosis sometimes left her in a dark place.
‘I have moments. I’ll be crying on the way to Ayla’s daycare and thinking, “Am I going to be a widow before the age of 40?”
‘”Is she going to know her dad? Are we going to be able to grow our family?”
Berina Colakovic is pictured with her husband Jai Arrow and their daughter Ayla. The 31-year-old has opened up about some of her darker moments during the ex-NRL star’s MND battle
The trio are pictured at Arrow and Colakovic’s secret Sydney wedding on July 5
Colakovic revealed she was in denial about her man’s MND diagnosis at first
‘I’m scared, to be honest, of the unknown of the future.’
The effects of Arrow’s MND first manifested last year, when he started experiencing twitching in his left shoulder.
‘I’ve been in denial,’ Colakovic told News Corp.
‘The whole time until we got the MND diagnosis in May I just said, “No, no, it’s not that.”
The 31-year-old revealed she had a ‘heartbreaking’ experience when she and Arrow attended an MND fundraiser last November and she saw a father whose speech had gone due to the disease.
‘I remember thinking, “God, I hope this doesn’t happen to anybody. It’s horrible,”‘ she recalled.
Seven months later, her husband rocked the footy world when his retirement was announced at a press conference.
Colakovic said Arrow has been ‘the busiest person in Australia’ since his diagnosis became public.
The couple are planning another wedding in Italy this year, this time with their friends and loved ones in attendance
The footy world has rallied behind Arrow, who is pictured with his wife and daughter during a tribute to him at the Souths vs Brisbane match on June 11
The ex-State of Origin star has thrown himself into health therapies – even going to Spain to attend a world-class treatment facility – and fundraising.
She said he’s also organising ‘things like getting our life in order and figuring out things for Ayla’s future’.
‘It’s stuff you don’t need to do when you’re 31.’
The footy world has rallied around Arrow, with Souths and the NRL holding a special fundraising celebration at the Rabbitohs’ match against Newcastle on Sunday – the ex-forward’s birthday.
Players across the NRL, and even in the AFL and England’s Super League competitions, have been celebrating tries and goals with a special celebration dedicated to Arrow.
The Queensland State of Origin team also kept him heavily involved in their push to win this year’s series, getting him into camp and having him take the shield out onto the field shortly before game three kicked off on Wednesday night.
Arrow has also revealed that he’ll be travelling to New York to watch the final of the FIFA World Cup with his wife, daughter and mum.
‘Essentially, I don’t have time on my side,’ Arrow told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘It’s been overwhelming, the amount of support, and I am truly enjoying life.’
Arrow and Colakovic plan to hold another wedding in Italy later this year, this time with their loved ones on the invite list.
They got engaged in Sicily in October 2024.
‘Don’t know how Italy will top this one but we can’t wait to celebrate with all our family and friends,’ Colakovic wrote on the Instagram post that revealed the heartwarming news on Tuesday.
A host of sport stars rushed to congratulate the couple when they revealed they’d married, including Liam Knight, Mark Geyer, Shayna Jack and Adam Reynolds.
‘An extra special thank you to our family friends The Beath’s for witnessing our special day and watching our little angel [their daughter Ayla Rae],’ Colakovic wrote.
‘I am in awe of how amazing people are, thank you to Maddi, Lucy, Jazz, and everyone who gave their time to make this elopement a very extra special one.’
The post features photos of the couple celebrating with their baby daughter, with Arrow wearing a classic tuxedo while his wife opted for a stunning all-white structured mini dress paired with a veil.
In December 2024, the loved-up couple took to Instagram to reveal they were expecting their first child together.
Ayla Rae was born in April 2025, just over a year before Arrow went public with the awful news about his health.
