Ben Cousins has rebuilt his life after a very public fall from grace in the late 2000s, but his patience was recently put to the test.
The former AFL Brownlow medalist, 45, appeared to be in an argument with a taxi driver from 13Cabs on Wednesday.
He was dropped off at Sydney Airport by the company ahead of his Dancing With The Stars Australia debut when the cabbie chased him down the terminal.
The pair were seen having an animated discussion about an apparent problem with payment.
Fortunately, it all ended well as they appeared to part amicably and gave each other a thumbs up.
Ben Cousins has rebuilt his life after a very public fall from grace in the late 2000s, but his patience was recently put to the test. In the picture: Ben and taxi driver
After the interaction, Ben appeared eager, if a little nervous, as he prepared to fly to Melbourne to film Dancing With The Stars.
Keeping things casual in a long black T-shirt and cargo pants, the footy legend practiced some very stylish color blocking with a set of all-black trainers.
After checking in his suitcase, the athlete lugged a huge black carry-on in one hand while carrying a red duffel bag in the other.
The former AFL Brownlow medalist, 45, appeared to be in an argument with a taxi driver from 13Cabs on Wednesday
He was dropped off at Sydney Airport by the company ahead of his Dancing With The Stars Australia debut when the cabby chased him down the terminal
The pair were seen having an animated discussion about an apparent problem with payment
Fortunately, it all ended well as they appeared to part amicably and gave each other a thumbs up
The sighting comes as Ben continues to rebuild his life after a fall from grace in 2007, and reveals part of his redemption arc will include reality TV.
The footballer has previously said he was approached several times by Channel Seven’s SAS Australia, which is known for signing up controversial public figures.
Ben has so far declined, but he has agreed to do Dancing With The Stars this year, explaining that focusing on a new challenge will help him rebuild his life.
The athlete recently told Herald Sun he actually agreed to participate in the dance competition back in 2008 before changing his mind.
Keeping things casual in a long black T-shirt and cargo pants, the footy legend practiced some very stylish color blocking with a set of all-black sneakers.
The athlete had a large black hand luggage in one hand and a red garment bag in the other
Ben looked worried as he weighed his bag
‘I’m just in a pretty good place at the moment and able to take on some new challenges and it’s come and probably for the first time in a while I’m in a position to give it a go. ‘ he said.
‘This worked for where I was mental and wanted to throw myself into something.’
When it comes to rebuilding his life, Ben said there’s no quick fix and he’s willing to pay his dues.
“It’s certainly not lost on me, or forgotten, the hard work and commitment it’s taken to get back to where I am,” he explained.
‘It’s the long game… You don’t just do something and then suddenly it changes from one day to the next.’
The sighting comes as Ben continues to rebuild his life after a fall from grace in 2007, revealing part of his redemption arc will include reality TV
The footballer previously said he was approached several times by Channel Seven’s SAS Australia, which is known for signing up controversial public figures
Ben has so far declined but has agreed to do Dancing With The Stars this year, explaining that focusing on a new challenge will help him rebuild his life
The athlete recently told the Herald Sun that he actually agreed to take part in the dance competition back in 2008 before changing his mind
Ben won the Brownlow Medal in 2005 and captained the West Coast Eagles from 2001 to 2005, securing the club’s best and fairest awards four out of that season.
He played 238 games and scored 205 goals for the West Coast Eagles, winning a premiership with the club in 2006.
His dramatic fall from grace was well-documented from 2007, when he publicly battled a drug addiction and coped with his failed relationship with Maylea Tinecheff.
He was later sacked and given a one-year ban by the AFL for repeated offences.
In 2021, Susan Backshell, who has acted as a mentor to Ben since his last stint in prison, told Daily Mail Australia that he remains solely focused on his children.
Sitting in a cold, cramped prison cell for the sixth time in 13 years, Ben decided enough was enough after seven months behind bars in 2020.
He told her he wanted to make amends and clean up his life, and Susan gave him an ultimatum: ‘Give it your all or forget it entirely.’
Since Ben was released from custody back in December 2020, Susan said she has never once questioned his commitment to sobriety and improving his community.
Last year, Ben announced that he would be taking part in several speaking engagements on his Such Is Life Tour, which kicked off in July.
The tour promised to tell countless stories from his football career and marked a catharsis of sorts for the controversial Brownlow medalist.