In a shocking twist of fate, Channel Seven presenter Angela Cox found herself presenting a news report on the sad downfall of her former co-host, Andrew O’Keefe.
Filing a report covering O’Keefe’s chaotic appearance at Rose Bay police station on Monday and the subsequent court hearing on Tuesday, Cox offered a blunt summary of her former co-star’s plight.
“Andrew O’Keefe has been told he’s lucky to be alive and that prison is the best place for him if he wants to stay alive,” he told viewers.
‘The former TV presenter received a stern reprimand from a magistrate when he appeared in court, once again, just days after suffering a heroin overdose.’
The extraordinary shift from starring alongside O’Keefe to reporting on his life-or-death struggle comes after Daily Mail Australia rediscovered the pair’s glimpse hosting Weekend Sunrise in 2017.
It was clear from the video that there was a problem when O’Keefe slid onto the anchors’ couch for what was the show’s biggest broadcast of the year.
There was something that didn’t fit with the long-time host.
At first, the show’s producers were concerned about his odd slouching and somewhat dazed and confused appearance.
Angela Cox filed a story about her former co-star Andrew O’Keefe’s chaotic appearance at Rose Bay Police Station on Monday and the subsequent court hearing on Tuesday (pictured)
The extraordinary shift from starring alongside O’Keefe to reporting on his life-or-death struggle comes after Daily Mail Australia rediscovered the sight of the pair presenting Weekend Sunrise in 2017 (pictured)
Then he started talking.
His words were slurred, his comments erratic and off-key, and then there were the odd burst of spontaneous laughter.
It was Saturday 28 May 2017 and the country’s long-running number one breakfast news programme was covering the most anticipated event of the year.
Nearly 12 years after she was convicted of attempting to smuggle 4.2kg of cannabis into Bali, Schapelle Corby was returning to Australia.
The show’s hard-working producers and crew had been planning every moment of the network’s comprehensive coverage for months.
Now it seemed their efforts were about to be overshadowed by the strange behaviour of the show’s star presenter.
At one point during the broadcast, O’Keefe’s co-host Angela Cox admitted that his random babbling was “confusing” even her.
He was later caught blatantly checking his mobile phone during a live segment with a Weekend Sunrise reporter.
It wasn’t long before Seven’s switchboard began filling up with calls from worried viewers: “Is AOK okay?”, “Is he having a stroke?”, “Does he seem ‘tired and emotional’?”, “Is he drunk on air?”
Concerned viewers were concerned about O’Keefe’s unusual antics during the live broadcast.
Daily Mail Australia was the first to notice the strange spectacle unfolding at Seven’s iconic Martin Place studios in Sydney.
But within minutes of posting a story about the star’s unusual antics at just after 8am, Seven’s army of spinners were in action.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with O’Keefe, they insisted.
I was simply overwhelmed by Corby’s dramatic comeback.
Behind the scenes, they knew better. The famous star’s life was in free fall as she “self-medicated” with drugs and alcohol.
Asked about O’Keefe’s worrying appearance in 2017 this week, Seven insiders struggled to pinpoint the occasion.
Not because it was so trivial, but because it had become so disturbingly common that year.
“Mispronouncing words on air in 2017? At what point?” a senior source responded when asked about it by Daily Mail Australia.
O’Keefe arrives at Rose Bay police station on Monday, where he was charged with drug possession following a shocking heroin overdose at his eastern suburbs apartment at the weekend.
After racking up a record 12 years as presenter of Weekend Sunrise, he was stepping down to spend more time with his “real family” – his wife, social worker Eleanor Campbell, and their three children, Barnaby, Rory and Olivia.
This week, he remains behind bars after nearly dying from a heroin overdose in his humble apartment in Sydney’s east end.
Paramedics managed to revive the 52-year-old man before rushing him to St Vincent’s Hospital in nearby Darlinghurst in the early hours of Saturday morning.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with drug possession and bail jumping.
O’Keefe was not present in court when his case was heard on Tuesday and his lawyer did not apply for bail, meaning he would remain in custody.
Judge Jacqueline Milledge’s message was blunt: “You are lucky to be alive… if you want to stay alive, (staying in jail) is the best thing you can do.”
“God help him, and it’s a shame he doesn’t have an epiphany.”
O’Keefe will have plenty of time to consider his tragic path over the next three weeks before returning to court once again on October 10.
