Grant Denyer reveals he almost died during horror TV collapse: ‘Convulsing’

On TV, the moment Grant Denyer collapsed during a reality show last year looked pretty scary. The reality was much, much worse.

“She thought that I was slipping away, permanently.”

Grant Denyer’s dramatic collapse during filming of an episode of last year’s Amazing Race generated plenty of headlines – but months later, he’s now admitted the reality of what unfolded was even more terrifying.

The alarming medical emergency unfolded during the Celebrity Edition of the series, which aired in October, and saw Denyer appear dehydrated and disorientated after competing in a dance challenge with his wife, Chezzi, in the humid heat.

In the TV footage, the Aussie TV personality could be seen looking very unwell while lying on the ground.

“You need to sit down. Grant? You’re not OK, are you? You’re looking like you’re going to faint,” Chezzi could be heard saying, before screaming as the screen faded to black.

Medics were brought inside to an air conditioned room where he lay on his side on the floor, his face worryingly pale.

Denyer collapsed during the show. Picture: Channel 10

Speaking to news.com.au ahead of the premiere of his new hosting gig, Ten’s revamped Deal Or No Deal, Denyer admitted the situation was significantly worse than what viewers had seen.

“In television land, we’re often guilty of dialling a lot of moments up in drama,” he explained. “In this one, I think we actually dialled it down a little bit, because it was pretty confronting.”

Denyer added that he was “convulsing on the floor” and the producer holding him said he was “dropping in and out of consciousness” and that she’d been afraid he was going to die.

“She was yelling at me to stay with her, stay with her,” he said.

“I know that there were several occasions there that she thought that I was slipping away permanently. So, from what we know now about severe heat stroke, we were probably 10 minutes away from a very severe outcome.

“It was a lot … It was a real lot.”

The couple had been eliminated after the incident as it was impossible for them to continue, given his state, and they’d fallen far behind the others.

While Denyer appeared better on-screen, sitting up and talking with medics, what was to follow was a harrowing two-month recovery ordeal that left him wondering whether he’d ever be able to fully function again.

“It was scary, it took me a lot to recover from it, to be honest,” he said.

“I was down for about seven weeks after that, and just wasn’t able to function – I couldn’t even walk from the bedroom to the kitchen without sleeping for two days. I was literally cooked.”

An alarmed Chezzi was seen alongside medics. Picture: Channel 10

Worryingly, it reached a point where Denyer considered that he may be left with “permanent damage”.

“I was cognitively not very good … I wasn’t able to finish sentences or remember things and I just was, I was running on about 10% of function,” he explained, adding that he’d eventually been able to find an integrative doctor who was able to “diagnose what was going on”.

“My system was sort of in a fight-or-flight mode and we couldn’t quite get it out of it.”

Thankfully, he was put on a course of medication that helped him get back on track.

“As soon as the doctor identified it, we were all good,” Denyer said.

“I’m all good now, which is excellent. Once I sort of got my body system back under control and operating normally again, I just started training and exercising and my health is as best it’s ever been.”

However, Denyer still feels lingering guilt for “ruining” he and his wife’s first big opportunity to appear together on screen.

“It was just a shame, to be honest,” he confessed.

“I feel really silly and embarrassed that it happened. It was supposed to be a great opportunity for Chezzi to excel and for everyone to see how awesome [she] is, because she’s an absolute powerhouse.

“And then I went and ruined it by collapsing, I ruined it for everyone … But you can’t win ‘em all.”

Denyer still feels guilty for “ruining” the experience for his wife. Picture: Channel 10

Denyer’s known for his high-energy on-screen persona, and he was quick to reassure that he’s now fully recovered, and when Deal Or No Deal premieres on Monday, it’ll confirm to viewers that he’s back to his usual self.

“I’m probably the best I’ve ever been. The moment you see me on stage, you’ll know, ‘He’s back to the old GD, he’s doing high kicks and jumping up and down, and being lifted in the air by contestants’.

“It’s the full GD experience … don’t worry about that.”

The return of Deal Or No Deal was announced late last year, with game show stalwart Denyer confirmed as host.

It will air weekdays on Ten at 6pm.

The series, once a ratings juggernaut, originally aired on Seven from 2003 until 2013 with Andrew O’Keefe at the helm.

“I knew the format had a lot of love historically in Australia, it had a run for 11 years, which is enormous,” Denyer explained.

“So therein also in lies the pressure of, ‘How can I make this better and bigger and brighter and shinier and more fun?’ Because that’s where I want to take everything.

“To be honest, it’s absolutely surprised to me how good it is. I remembered it well, and I liked it in its day, but I’m absolutely blown away by how off the charts it is … It’s like a rock concert in there. The crowd was going nuts.”

He’s the new host of the revamped game show. Picture: Channel 10

Denyer admitted that he’d been “pleasantly shocked” at the outcome.

“Sometimes, when you say yes to things, they don’t always turn out as good as you hoped and you wanted them to be … But this one has far exceeded my expectations.

“You’ve got to be careful when you make a decision about what your next show is, because not all of them have the ingredients to succeed. But this one, it has good heritage in this country. It’s one of the world’s most successful formats ever.”

The father-of-three also believes it’s the alternative evening TV option that families really need amid an often-heavy era of news bulletins.

“I think it’s nice that Australian television is offering an alternative at six o’clock. I think that’s smart, because there’s some things you don’t want your families to watch, and I think it’s important to provide an alternative and I’m really happy to be that alternative.”

Deal Or No Deal premieres Monday, January 29, at 6pm on 10 and 10 Play.