- The star and his ex-wife were caught with drugs in 2014
- The resulting scandal brought him to rock bottom.
- Huegill recently revealed a diagnosis that changed his life
His shocking cocaine arrest with then-wife Sara Hills sent Geoff Huegill to rock bottom in 2014, but the champion swimmer revealed there was a “really good” side to the scandal when he opened up about his ADHD diagnosis.
The 45-year-old and his ex-wife were infamously arrested with a small amount of the drug in a disabled toilet at Sydney’s Randwick racecourse, sparking a storm of media coverage.
Both pleaded guilty to drug possession and received six-month bonds for good behavior.
Although they avoided prosecution, the scandal was the beginning of the end for the couple, who have two daughters, Gigi and Mila. They announced their separation in 2018.
Earlier this week, Huegill admitted that the incident caused him to hit rock bottom before he decided to quit drugs and alcohol, putting him on the path to being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
But on Friday he revealed that the drug bomb had a silver lining.
Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr asked her about the impact of the scandal and reminded her that “it made headlines all over Australia”.
“Yeah, and all over the world, actually, which in some ways was really nice, just understanding my reach,” Huegill replied, smiling, before talking about how his condition has affected him.
Huegill and his ex-wife Sara Hills are pictured on the day they were arrested with cocaine at a horse race in Sydney in 2014.
The swimming great revealed the silver lining of the drugs scandal that left him at rock bottom during a television appearance on Friday (pictured), saying the resulting media storm at least showed him how famous he was.
‘One of the things I’ve learned throughout this journey, especially with this diagnosis, is the science and symptoms of having it (ADHD).
“The ADHD brain works in many different ways. One of the main ones is impulsivity, and spontaneity is probably also an important factor.”
The Olympic medallist and Commonwealth Games champion said forgiving himself has been a big part of his life and went on to say having the condition was actually a huge advantage when competing.
“ADHD is kind of a superpower. It was great for me because I was a professional athlete,” he said.
‘It really helped me focus on the things I needed to focus on and cut out the white noise of things that were irrelevant to what was happening in the sport.
“Obviously, that transition to the next phase of life, when you don’t have something to focus on or have that same passion for… that’s where I really noticed the challenges.”
The 45-year-old (pictured after winning bronze at the Sydney Olympics) said his ADHD was like a “superpower” when swimming because it allowed him to focus on the sport.
During his previous appearance on SBS Knowledge On the show, Huegill revealed the impact of the cocaine bust.
“I lost sponsors, I lost job opportunities. I was creating businesses and I had to close them all,” he said.
‘Even though I was not convicted, it was still a death at the hands of the media.’
Speaking about his relationship with Sara, Huegill added: “Unfortunately, I lost that marriage. There were a lot of other factors that made that marriage not work.
“It’s only when your life is put in the spotlight that people start to deal with the pressure in certain ways, and that’s the hard part.”