Eliza Paschke has revealed how she was left ‘gasping for air’ after suffering a horrific sexual assault.
The Block star, who detailed the 2019 attack on her podcast, Try Before You Die, said she was ‘lucky to be alive’ after the attack.
‘I’m splayed out laying down on the back seat of a stranger’s car,’ she said.
‘There’s a man laying down directly on top of me. His full body weight is holding me down. My arms are pinned underneath him.
‘I start screaming. I’m saying, get the f**k off me. I’m just letting out these blood-curdling screams of terror and anger.’
Eliza said she managed to escape before the man raped her but was left bruised and battered.
Eliza Paschke (pictured) has revealed how she was left ‘gasping for air’ after suffering a horrific sexual assault
‘I’m just wailing, and I’m literally fighting for my life. And then bizarrely, after a while, this scumbag of a man, I think literally just realises I’m going to be too hard to overcome, and he gives up. And he stops, and he slowly gets up’ she said.
Eliza, who starred on the renovation series with her sister Liberty Paschke in 2023, earlier revealed she came to in the back of a stranger’s car six years ago to find herself being ‘held down’ by a strange man.
The 38-year-old said she ‘fought for her life’ during the assault, which happened in St Kilda, Melbourne, on Australia Day in 2019.
The reality star had called an Uber to take her home before midnight, but had left the vehicle while blacked out, only to awake 4.5 hours later in the back of the strange man’s car.
She believes she was the victim of a drink spiking – and that her tight underwear ‘saved her’ from being raped.
‘They’ve abducted me and there’s certain things which I luckily don’t remember but I was one to wear Spanx and big nanna undies and they were intact,’ she told The Herald Sun on Sunday.
‘Police said there’s no way someone could have got them on and off so they essentially saved me’ she continued.
‘My dress and bra were around my waist and the guy had been sucking on my chest, so we got some saliva, which police were able to capture a DNA profile from.’
Eliza and her sister Liberty (both pictured) placed second in the 2023 season of The Block, taking home a whopping $1.05m after smashing their $3,250,000 reserve. They also returned to The Block last year part of the ‘all stars’ team that helped 2024’s Blockheads
The star says she is now speaking out to raise awareness for the issue of sexual assault – revealing dozens of women reached out to her after she first told the story on her podcast, Try Before You Die, which she shares with her sister.
Eliza and her sister Liberty placed second in the 2023 season of The Block, taking home a whopping $1.05m after smashing their $3,250,000 reserve.
They also returned to The Block last year part of the ‘all stars’ team that helped 2024’s Blockheads.
Last year, Eliza, who was Hamish Blake and Andy Lee’s assistant for 10 years before her breakout appearance on the 19th season of The Block, revealed her career change.
At the time, she revealed she was ‘putting my journalism degree (and s**t show of a dating life) to good use’ in a regular column for the 9Honey website.
Her former boss was one of the first to congratulate her in the comments.
‘Finally your wisdom is recorded for future generations Lize!’ wrote Hamish Blake.
Liberty and Eliza were also rumoured to be looking to be cast on Channel Nine’s popular Travel Guides program.
Eliza said she managed to escape before the man raped her but was left bruised and battered
A source that spoke to New Idea claimed that Eliza and Liberty are considered Nine’s ‘golden girls’ at the network and that they’d be the right fit for the travel show.
‘They do have the right sort of ‘vibe’ for Travel Guides. They’d be a lot of fun to watch and wouldn’t be afraid to get amongst it,’ said the source.
‘Clearly the big bosses at Nine believe they’ve struck talent gold with the likeable Aussie sisters,’ the insider added.
Eliza and Liberty have continued as favourite talent at Nine, appearing as regulars on the network’s Do You Want To Live Forever?
National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732
Sexual Assault Support Services on 6231 1811, or after hours 6231 1817
