Geoff Huegill opens up on life-altering diagnosis in wake of turbulent times

Australian swimming great Geoff Huegill has opened up on the diagnosis that changed his life in the wake of turbulent times.

Australian swimming icon Geoff Huegill has opened up on the diagnosis that completely changed his life.

The 45-year-old spoke candidly in an eye-opening interview about how he hit rock bottom following a drug charges and the breakdown of his marriage.

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But it was when he was diagnosed with ADHD that helped him to fully understand who he was and gave clarification on mistakes he’d previously made.

“The wave of emotions I had to go through after the diagnosis … it was the fact of, ‘Why didn’t I look at this earlier?’ because it’s definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made in my whole life,” Huegill said on SBS Insight.

Huegill found himself in the spotlight back in 2014 when he and his then wife Sara were charged with possessing cocaine at the Randwick races.

Both pleaded guilty to drug possession and were handed six-month good behaviour bonds.

“I lost sponsors. I lost job opportunities. I was building businesses — I had to close all of those businesses,” he said.

“Even though I wasn’t given a criminal conviction, it was still death by media.”

Huegill opened up on his life-altering diagnosis.

Huegill said the incident put a major strain on the marriage which ultimately came to an end in 2018.

“Unfortunately, I lost that marriage. There were many other factors as to why that marriage didn’t work,” he said.

“It’s not until your life is put in the spotlight that people deal with pressure in certain ways — and that’s the hard part.

“What I realised, at the end of the day, is that I can only control what I can control.”

Geoff and his now ex-wife Sara. (Photo by Caroline McCredie/Getty Images)

The Aussie swimmer endured some turbulent years. Picture Craig Greenhill,

The former Olympic swimmer has previously opened up on the impact the marriage breakdown had on his life.

While appearing on SAS Australia in 2022, Huegill admitted he has had periods of depression over the years since his marriage breakdown, but he was determined to make a fresh start.

“I’ve had times where I sat there and thought there would be an easier way out,” he said.

“But I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve been able to pull myself out of some pretty dark times.

“If there’s ever a message I want to share with my kids, it’s to get them to understand and recognise that life isn’t going to be easy. The most important thing is how we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.”

Huegill found love in 2019 when he began dating Roxy Toll who he now lives in Singapore with.

The couple welcomed their first child, Rafe, in 2021 while welcoming their second child in 2023.

Insight’s episode featuring Geoff, ‘Second Chances’, is available to stream on SBS On Demand now.