Molly Meldrum, Shane Warne, Wayne Carey, Jordan De Goey’s excuses revealed
Molly Meldrum isn’t the first to offer an odd excuse for bad behaviour. Here are some of the most creative explanations given by Aussie celebrities.
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We’ve all said and done things we will later regret. Some are more embarrassing than others. Some are just weird and hard to believe – like Molly Meldrum declaring a faulty belt was the cause of his show-stealing nudity at Sir Elton John’s Melbourne farewell concert last week.
From blaming someone else to flat-out denial, the Herald Sun takes a look back at some of the most bizarre excuses our high-profile Aussies have used to defend themselves.
Molly Meldrum’s faulty belt
Australian music icon Molly Meldrum made an appearance at Sir Elton John’s concert in Melbourne last week, but that wasn’t the most surprising show of the night.
Moments after joining the 75-year-old on stage, Meldrum was seen mooning the crowd, with video footage from the show making headlines across the globe.
Meldrum blamed his bare butt on a broken belt buckle, apologising to all who saw the full moon that night.
Wayne Carey’s anti-inflammatory drugs
A line from ‘The King’s’ 2009 autobiography may perfectly summarise what happened at a Crown Casino in Perth last year.
“I’d always been told and taught to deny, deny, deny, unless you have been caught red-handed,” he wrote in his book.
“And even if you have been caught red-handed you still deny, deny, deny.”
Carey was left red-faced after dropping a bag of white powder at a Perth casino, which he claimed was anti-inflammatory medication.
The two-time premiership star wasn’t charged over the incident and will not return to his roles at Channel 7 and Triple M covering the footy this year.
Jordan De Goey’s broken hand
In one of several off-field indiscretions against the Collingwood star, Jordan De Goey infamously lied to his club after injuring his hand in 2017.
De Goey said he broke his hand playing with his dog, when he actually broke it in an incident at a St Kilda bar.
The Magpies suspended him for three matches and fined him $5000 for the white lie.
Chris Walker’s Skype stripshow
ABC executive producer ex-partner of Carrie Bickmore stripped naked in front of colleagues, claiming he wrongly believed he had logged off from a Skype call and was undressing to get into the shower.
The May 17, 2022 incident, which occurred during an online rehearsal meeting for comedy show The Weekly, was witnessed by up to nine people and lasted between 40 seconds and two minutes.
Mr Walker has vehemently denied colleagues’ claims that he was masturbating.
The ABC and Mr Walker’s television production company, Thinkative Television, issued statements to the Herald Sun at the time saying the incident was unintentional and he was undressing to get into the shower, but wasn’t performing a lewd act.
ABC offered counselling to staff as a result of the incident.
Bickmore and Walker announced their shock split on social media on January 18, almost eight months to the day of the infamous incident.
Schapelle Corby’s boogie board bust up
In a case that gripped the entire nation in the early 2000s, Queenslander Schapelle
Corby was arrested in Bali after officials discovered over four kilograms of cannabis in her bodyboard bag.
Corby insisted someone else planted the drugs in a double plastic vacuum-sealed bag, claiming she had no knowledge of how the drug got there whatsoever.
In 2005, she was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the Denpasar District Court and served nine years behind bars.
She was granted a sentence reduction and was deported back to Australia in 2017.
Shane Warne’s banned substance
After being suspended for 12 months for taking a banned substance, the Spin King said his mother had innocently given him the pills to help with high blood pressure and weight loss.
Warne said the 2003 scandal was all about his “appearance” and not about gaining an edge over his opposition.
Ex-MP’s Twitter porn ‘hacker’
A Twitter storm erupted after former Victorian Labor MP Martin Foley was called for ‘liking’ explicit posts on the social media platform.
A series of pornographic posts were marked as ‘liked’ on his public Twitter page, visible to the public.
Foley was adamant that hackers were to blame for the X-rated activity.
“I have been hacked. Apology for the disgusting material. Security measures being taken now,” he later tweeted.
Tracy Grimshaw’s naked gaff
A Current Affair stalwart Tracy Grimshaw endured an embarrassing ordeal at a Crown resort after the 1998 Logies, accidentally locking herself out of her room naked.
Grimshaw, who left ACA at the end of 2022, admitted she was so drunk that night, she thought the door to her room was the shower, locking herself out just before four in the morning.
Remarkably, Grimshaw said she was about to start getting ready to appear on the Today Show before the hair and makeup artists arrived to her room.
Todd McKenney’s party pants
Former Dancing with the Stars judge Todd McKenney was arrested by police after they found drugs in his pocket after a boozy April 2008 party.
McKenney claimed someone planted the drugs in the pocket of his pants after he took them off and denied using or owning the substance.
He was found unconscious in Rushcutters Bay Park in Sydney on April 25 before being revived by paramedics.
The charges against McKenney were ultimately dropped.
Andrew Lovett’s ‘boredom’ excuse
Alcohol-fuelled domestic violence assaults against his ex-partner earnt the ex-Bomber eight months behind bars in March last year after a series of court appearances.
The 88-gamer blamed an increase in drinking and cocaine use on boredom during Covid lockdowns.
He pleaded guilty to 24 offences including recklessly and intentionally causing injury, and eight counts of assault.
‘A joke’: AFL great tees off on golf club’s ‘unfair’ deals for women
Melbourne legend David Schwarz has teed off on the sex storm dividing a Victorian golf club, saying it was his mates who were suspended over a stunt in which one dressed up as a woman to snag a deal.
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