Shane Crawford has been left emotional by Ben Cousins’ performance on the new season of Dancing with the Stars.
The former Hawthorn player joins the former Richmond player in the star-studded dance competition this year.
And Shane has said how watching Ben work hard at rehearsals choked him up.
“I’ll be honest, his first dance (practice) that he did was emotional,” Crawford told Herald Sun.
‘I knew it was such a great moment for him to be out there enjoying it and having a crack. I’m so proud of him, I really was.’
Shane Crawford (pictured) has been left emotional by Ben Cousins’ performance on the new season of Dancing with the Stars
The former Hawthorn player joins the former Richmond player in the star-studded dance competition this year. Ben is in the picture
He continued: ‘I tried to explain to some of the other celebs, you have to understand that this guy was in a hole, he was in jail, everyone thought we were going to read about him not being around anymore.
‘He’s here with a smile on his face and a crack and I love it.’
Crawford says the former athlete has been ‘so dedicated and he’s worked his ass off.’
Cousins has rebuilt his life in recent years after a fall from grace.
The 45-year-old AFL legend revealed part of his redemption arc will include reality TV.
“I have to be honest, his first dance (practice) that he did was emotional,” Crawford told the Herald Sun. ‘I knew it was such a great moment for him to be out there enjoying it and having a crack. I’m so proud of him, I really was’
The footballer says 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 tells Herald Sun who actually agreed to do the dance competition before, back in 2008, before he changed his mind.
‘I’m just in a pretty good place at the moment and able to take on some new challenges and this has come along and I’m probably for the first time in a while in a position to give it a go’ he said.
‘This worked for where I was mental and wanted to throw myself into something.’
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. The picture in 2006
When it comes to rebuilding his life, Ben says 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.’
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.
Ben has agreed to do Dancing With The Stars this year and explains that focusing on a new challenge will help him rebuild his life
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 Cousins 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, Cousins 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 Backshell gave him an ultimatum: ‘Give it your all or forget it entirely’.
Since Cousins was released from custody back in December 2020, Backshell said she has never once questioned his commitment to sobriety and improving his community.
Last year, Cousins announced that he will be making 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.
Last year, Cousins announced that he will be making several speaking engagements on his Such Is Life Tour, which kicked off in July. Pictured with Pat Cash