Swim legend Hackett blames alcohol for tarnished image

Australian Olympic swimming great Grant Hackett has blamed excessive drinking and anxiety attacks for a series of unsavoury incidents that badly tarnished his reputation

Grant Hackett 

Australian Olympic swimming great Grant Hackett has blamed excessive drinking and anxiety attacks for a series of unsavoury incidents that badly tarnished his reputation.

The 37-year-old sought help for mental health issues in February after being arrested at his parents’ home following a family bust-up. He then went missing for several days, sparking fears for his safety. He said he had been in a bad place mentally and drinking excessively as he opened up yesterday for the first time since then.

"I was in a bad place, I suffer from pretty bad anxiety and ended up drinking. I drank too much at my parents’ house and got into an argument with my dad," he told KIIS commercial radio.

Several weeks earlier, he had got in a fight with his brother, who was trying to help him recognise he had problems. It left him with a black eye.

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