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Brendan Fevola On The Problem With Being ‘A Big Tough Footy Player'

Brendan Fevola On The Problem With Being ‘A Big Tough Footy Player'
I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here/Channel 10

While many would argue Warnie stole the show on Monday night’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, ex footy star Brendan Fevola flipped the script in an incredibly positive way while opening up about his battle with mental health.

Speaking to his fellow contestants, Fevola detailed his time in a rehabilitation centre where he spent 60 days for alcohol, depression and gambling issues while he was still listed as a player of the Brisbane Lions.

“I went into rehab -- like a mental institution for 60 days. And now I’m alright,” Fevola said.

Comedian Akmal Saleh asked Fevola what brought it on.

“Everything. Like, drinking, gambling, depression,” Fevola said.

Fevola then went on to say that it was during his time in rehab that he was sacked from the Brisbane Lions but that it was “probably the best thing to ever happen” to him as it got him out of “the bubble”.

“I’d keep everything in, and then I’d have a drink and I’d act out -- because everything was built up.”

“I found it hard to express my feelings. Everyone thinks you’re this big, tough footy player, you get perceived like that. And if you’ve got issues, well, you look like a big sook.”

“Back then, I was all over the paper -- front page, back page -- ‘In rehab’. Had people out the front of the institution trying to take photos. It was sick,” Fevola said.

His admission comes just one day after Jesinta Campbell’s appearance on Today where she spoke of her fiancé Sydney Swans star Lance Franklin’s mental health battle.

"I don’t think you ever truly recover from a mental health issue. It's hard and just because he is a sports star doesn’t mean that he's bulletproof,” Campbell said.

"It is really something that you battle with and challenge with every day," Campbell said.

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