How Ben Cousins ’broke out’ of rehab after Andrew Johns texted him to come to his wild family Christmas party – rocked up in a limo and didn’t leave until the next day
AFL great Ben Cousins is in the best place of his life after overcoming drug addiction and legal troubles.
But NRL star Cooper Johns recalled how Cousins came out of rehab in 2012 to attend his family’s Christmas party.
The sportsman revealed on KIIS FM’s The Kyle and Jackie O show on Wednesday that his famous uncle, Andrew Johns, had texted him and invited the troubled AFL great to the event.
‘It was Christmas 2012 and we had a party at our house and I was out front kicking the foot and a limousine pulled up and [Cousins] came out of,’ he explained.
‘He got out of Rebab and booked a limousine which dropped him off at our house.’
The cousins knocked on the door and asked if there was an ‘oriental horse’. Tells Cooper, ‘He’s got Ball West’s horse here’.
Matthew Johns’ NRL star son Cooper reveals how Ben’s cousin came out of rehab to attend his family’s Christmas party
Cooper said the cousins did not leave their home until the next morning.
At his peak, Cousins was regarded as one of the best players in the AFL, but died quickly due to drug use and a complete unwillingness to rid himself of negative life influences.
In 2020, he decided to turn his life around after going to jail for the sixth time in 13 years.
The former Eagles captain was found guilty on November 4, 2020 and jailed for seven months for punching his ex-partner Melia Tynechef.
He was released from Perth’s Hakea Jail after just two weeks because time had already been served.
Spurred on by the knowledge that staying clean and healthy was the key to being a good father to his children, son Bobby, nine, and daughter Angelique, seven, he soon began talking to Susan Backshell, a mental health support worker.
Soon after they met he issued her a vague ultimatum: ‘Give it your all, or forget it entirely.’
The sports player revealed on KIIS FM’s The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, his cousin invited the troubled AFL great to the event and he stepped out of rehab to attend.
Since then, he has volunteered with Ms Backshell’s community group KALT Collective at a number of events in and around Perth, acting as a beacon of hope for disadvantaged youth, addicts and reformed criminals.
He was even named employee of the month at a construction company in Perth in October 2021, another sign he has truly turned his life around.
The flow-on effect saw Cousins able to spend more time with her children.
Before his overdue epiphany, Cousins had been in and out of jail since 2010 on drug and domestic violence charges.
At his peak, Cousins was regarded as one of the best players in the AFL, but died quickly due to drug use and a complete unwillingness to rid himself of negative life influences.