A clean diet and plenty of movement are key to healthy living for Andrew Johns, as the football legend’s idyllic post-football lifestyle was disrupted by an alleged stalker late last month.
The Channel 9 commentator went to the police after meeting a 27-year-old man for a couple of days in March. The man has since been charged with harassment and will undergo a mental health evaluation.
Johns, 49, first saw the man while surfing at Brontë Beach. The man remained in the water and stared at the NSW Blues legend for a long period of time before being seen again outside Johns’ luxury home.
The football great saw the same man again the next day at his local cafe, prompting him to call the police.
“A man has been charged following an investigation by officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command into the alleged harassment of a 49-year-old man,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.
Andrew Johns lives an idyllic life in his Brontë home with his partner Kate Kendall
The football legend’s happiness was interrupted by an alleged stalker late last month.
Johns enjoys a lifestyle of surfing, yoga and healthy eating.
«On Sunday 31 March 2024, a 27-year-old man was charged with harassment and denied bail.
“Yesterday (April 1, 2024) he appeared at Parramatta Local Court and was granted bail.”
Barring the unwanted encounter, Johns lives a quiet life in Brontë, Sydney, where he regularly practices yoga and surfs to stay in top condition.
After retiring from football, Johns admits he enjoyed too many beers and bad food, but has since changed his lifestyle.
“When I first retired, because I had been playing and training for 20 years, I wanted to take a break, but I found that the less active I was, the worse I felt,” he told News Corp.
‘And even though I wasn’t training as intensely, my food intake was still very high and I was eating all the wrong foods, so I gained a bit of weight.
‘It wasn’t until I looked at what and when I ate that I got back to my normal weight and I’ve pretty much stayed there ever since. Once you make the right choice and eat the right foods, you really see the results.’
Johns says yoga in particular has kept him disciplined and helped his mental health.
‘I always thought yoga was for girls, but now I wish I had done it more when I played. Physically it’s great for my body, especially with all the injuries I’ve had, but mentally it’s even better – it really clears my mind.
‘It also keeps me in check. If I know I’m doing yoga in the morning, I behave well the night before, within reason.’
Johns also recently discovered the benefits of medicinal cannabis, insisting it has changed his life since he retired and has implored more football stars to use it.
The 49-year-old resides in Brontë, in Sydney’s east, and lives in a luxury apartment.
He reportedly paid around $2.8 million for the swimming platform in 2016.
“For me, I’ve been pretty explicit about it because it changed my life, I started it four or five years ago because of the seizures I developed, which may have contributed to the concussions,” he said in Wide World of Sports Immortal Behavior.
‘Since taking it, I don’t have seizures, but I still take a traditional medication for that, but I’m clearer than ever.
‘Physically for my body, I no longer take anti-inflammatories and I don’t take painkillers which, with my personality, I shouldn’t have painkillers at home.
“For me it has been a radical change, I surf sometimes three or four hours a day. I wake up and there is no inflammation, all the inflammation goes away.”
It all makes for a quiet life away from the commentators, and Johns has an enviable view of Brontë Beach from his $2.8 million home in Sydney’s east.
The stylish home overlooks Bronte Beach and has three bedrooms, one for him and each of his two children.
Johns has a fractured relationship with his brother Matty after they fell out over State of Origin.
The apartment also has large windows with panoramic views, wooden floors and a private elevator.
The spacious kitchen is complete with white cabinets and a marble countertop, with space for three stools and a breakfast nook.
A patio and outdoor space is located adjacent to the master bedroom, which can be accessed through sliding doors.
Johns played for New South Wales Blues for 23 State of Origin matches and captained the Newcastle Knights.
He has also represented Australia twice at the World Cup and is considered one of the greatest Australian rugby league players of all time.
Johns has a long-term partner, Kate Kendall. The pair have been dating since 2016. He has a fractured relationship with his brother Matty after they fell out over State of Origin a couple of years ago.