I'd be dead without my wife, says Rex Hunt

CONTROVERSIAL broadcaster Rex Hunt has paid tribute to his wife, Lynne, after she stood by him despite his admission of cheating.

CONTROVERSIAL broadcaster Rex Hunt has paid an emotional tribute to his wife, Lynne, after she stood by him despite his confession about 15 years of liaisons with other women.

Hunt shed tears as he revealed that without Lynne's support he would either be in jail or dead, given the repeated controversies of his life.

In an Open Mike interview at 9.30pm on Monday on Fox Footy, he says he has now made peace with himself.

Lynne, who has been diagnosed as bipolar, famously declared her loyalty to her husband in 2006, despite him admitting he had paid three women for a serious of sexual relationships.

"Without Lynn, I would either be in jail or in Boot Hill (a cemetery)," he told Open Mike host and former Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan.

"Absolutely no doubt, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me, meeting my wife. I would never have done that if I had known the disgrace and discomfort it would bring to my family. But to have my wife stand in front of me on television and give her love and support to me, I will never forget it and I owe that to her for the rest of my life."

Hunt admitted he had grown overconfident and arrogant, but says the controversies, which include a road rage incident, have made him re-evaluate his life.

"I hope when I take my last breath I haven't got any regrets because I am making up for lost time with my family," he said.