Dead Premier League footballer's wife speaks out as doc about his 'devastating secret' reaches number 1 on Netflix

The wife of a dead Premier League footballer who has had a documentary about him shoot to the number one spot on Netflix has spoken out.

Originally released in 2022 on ITV, the shocking 90 minute documentary has been picked up by the streaming platform.

The doc focuses on the life of Jlloyd Samuel, who played in the Premier League from 1999 to 2010 for Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers, with a loan to Gillingham from 2000-01.

He then spent a season on loan with Cardiff City in the Championship, before moving abroad and playing his football in the Iran Pro League from 2011-2015.

Jlloyd Samuel died in 2018 after being involved in a car accident. (Gary M. Prior/Getty Images)

Samuel picked up two caps for the Trinidad and Tobago national team in his career too, with his last club spell coming at 12th division side Egerton as a player-manager.

On 15 May, 2018, aged 37, Samuel tragically died following a collision between his Range Rover and a van, which burst into flames.

He died at the scene while the other driver was severely injured.

An inquest found a year later that he was over the legal drink driving limit after dropping his kids off at school. It was also revealed that it was a head-on collision, as his car was on the wrong side of the road - though a toxicologist claimed that the body can produce alcohol after death.

A lot of drama has surrounded the documentary - not only from fans, but with the people in his life, including his secret wife, who believes that the former defender is still alive, and his own sister, who claims that he wasn't the one driving the car.

Samuel's wife, Emma, couldn't believe that he was leading a double life prior to his death. (Netflix)

In the documentary, it is claimed that the footballer led a secret life and married another woman while playing in Iran, despite having three kids in the UK with wife, Emma.

The Footballer, His Wife, and the Crash alleged that the sportsman even converted to Islam to marry his second wife, as Emma looked for more proof as she felt betrayed by the information.

She has now spoken up for the first time since the doc dropped, posting a message of thanks on Instagram.

The post was a screenshot of the doc in the 'Everyone's Watching' section with the caption: "Watch my emotional journey on @netflixuk stay strong and keep going through good and bad."

The post on Emma's story thanked everyone for their support in light of the doc dropping on Netflix. (Instagram/@emmajsamuel)

Emma also put a screenshot of the doc at number one on her story, saying: "No 1 omg thank you to everyone who was watched," with a heart emoji.

In the documentary, it is revealed that Emma actually met his second wife when she was visiting Samuel in Dubai, with the other woman introducing herself as a fortune teller.

The Footballer, His Wife, and the Crash is available to stream now on Netflix.