World-renowned fisherman Rex Hunt checks into clinic after mental health decline

Friends of legendary footy commentator and fisherman Rex Hunt have rallied around the great as he receives treatment for his depression at a mental health clinic.

World-renowned fisherman Rex Hunt has checked himself into a Melbourne mental health clinic.

Iconic footy caller Rex Hunt is receiving treatment for his mental health.

Hunt checked himself into a Melbourne clinic this week after his health declined in recent weeks.

His longtime friend Sam Newman revealed on his You Cannot Be Serious podcast on Wednesday that the footy media great had sought help to manage his depression.

Hunt, 74, told Newman’s podcast in May that he suffers from bipolar depression.

He and Newman were last month part of an event raising awareness for mental health in Melbourne.

“Rex has since gone into a decline and he is currently in the care of an institution,” Newman said.

“He has gone into a decline, into a state of depression again, and we wish him well.

“He has a lot to offer. He is a world class and world-renowned fisherman.

“People love him and want the best for him.

“He is a very dear friend and we hope he is back up and going soon.”

Hunt’s mental health decline started seven years ago after he became hooked on powerful pain killing opioids.

A tyre on Hunt’s car was let down in the carpark of the venue in Bulleen last month while he was appearing as a guest speaker.

The incident came after a heckler was asked to leave the premises following the individual calling Newman, who was appearing at the event with Hunt, a “f*ckhead”.

“Police received a call regarding a vehicle receiving minor damage in Bulleen on Sunday, June 25,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“The owner was told to attend their local police station to report the matter.

“No report has been received at this stage.”

Hunt opened up in May on You Cannot Be Serious that his mental health decline started seven years ago after he became hooked on powerful pain killing opioids following surgery for a debilitating neck injury.

“Life will never ever be the same. Mental illness is a nasty word for some, but until it happens to you, I had no idea the ups and downs your mind goes through when you are suffering what I am suffering (from),” Hunt said.

“It is a chemical imbalance in the brain and I have been diagnosed with bipolar depression, high highs and low lows.”

He said he was officially diagnosed six years ago following a “meltdown” that saw him admitted to a mental health clinic in country Victoria for six weeks.

Hunt said his family had fractured in recent months as he struggled with his mental health.

He is not close to his adult children at the moment and is living separately from his wife, Lynne.

“I am in a very difficult place at the moment because it is difficult to try and get everyone together when you are trying to get yourself together,” he told Newman’s podcast in May.