Geoff huegill biography templates

Geoff Huegill has revealed his “shame” over the breakdown of his marriage after he and his ex-wife were charged with possessing cocaine at the Randwick races in 2014.

In the season premiere of “SAS Australia” — a reality television show in which celebrities complete the training for the Australian Special Air Service Regiment — on Monday night, the former Olympic swimmer revealed the terrible impact the ordeal had on his family.

“In 2014 I was arrested with my ex-wife at the races for cocaine possession,” Huegill recalled during an interrogation with soldiers on the TV show.

“We got pulled aside by the police and I was searched. Basically in the blink of an eye our life got turned upside down.

“I was carrying a lot of shame and a lot of guilt that I put my family through that process. “And it led me to get to a point where I had to make the call to leave my family.”

Huegill and his ex-wife, Sara Hills split in 2018. They share two daughters, Mila and Gigi.

The 42-year-old broke down as he revealed his sadness at not being able to see his daughters.

“I definitely have regret,” Huegill said, wiping away tears. “It hurts me to be in a position where I don’t get to live with my girls on a day-to-day basis because of our marriage separation. The last time I got to hold them was 18 months ago.

“That’s been a big eye opener because … life gets taken away from you in a blink of an eye.

“When I retired from sport for the second time, the only thing I ever cared for was family. The only thing I ever lived for after swimming was just to be a dad. It’s something that I loved and wanted to be.”

Huegill admitted he has had periods of depression in the years since his divorce, but that 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’v

Success in swimming was once a matter of life or death for Australian Geoff Huegill but he now sees sporting achievement as just a bonus.

In his second spell as a competitive swimmer, Huegill, whose mother is Thai, realises that there are other things in life and his new desire is to be an inspiration for younger people.

A butterfly specialist, Huegill has won several medals at the Olympics, world championships and Commonwealth Games.

He started swimming when he was three or four years old as his parents wanted him to be able to protect himself because they lived in Gove Peninsula.

He began swimming competitively after hearing that the 2000 Olympics would be held in Sydney.

"You naturally want to represent your country when the Olympics are coming to your country, your own backyard," Huegill told a group of Thai and Malaysian journalists in a recent interview in Sydney.

He was part of Australia's swimming team from 1997-2004 and was expected to make a splash in Sydney. However, he managed just one silver (4x100 medley) and a bronze (100m butterfly).

The former Australia's Cleo Bachelor of the Year lived up to expectation as a favourite in the 100m butterfly when he was the fastest in the heat yet he failed to repeat the feat in the final.

Huegill was empty-handed at the 2004 Athens Olympics and formally retired after his unsuccessful bid to qualify for his national side at the 2005 and 2006 Australian Championships.

Following his retirement, he struggled with alcohol abuse and a love of junk food which led to him piling on 45kgs.

He admitted in his book Be Your Best, which was released last year, that he abused party drugs and had considered suicide.

In an interview last year, he said that 16 years of intense swimming had left him with no idea of the real world.

"The swimming world is a pretty sheltered world," he said. "I had to learn pretty fast what the real world was like."

He added:

Huegill, who won a medley relay silver and a 100 metres butterfly bronze for Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was charged with his wife on Saturday and will appear at a Sydney court next month.

"Police were patrolling Randwick racecourse as part of their general duties when they were directed to a suite in the grandstand by security personnel," a police spokeswoman said.

"Police spoke to a 35-year-old old man and his 30-year-old wife, who were alleged to be in possession of a small quantity of white powder, believed to be cocaine."

Huegill posted links on his Twitter account on Saturday to pictures of himself and his wife beaming in a room at the race meeting while drinking champagne.

"Enjoying the day with @mshuegill in the Moët suites at Randwick today," a caption read.

Huegill's lawyer Paul Hunt confirmed the couple were issued with a court notice.

"As the matter is not yet resolved, my clients do not intend to make any further comment at this point in time," he said in a statement.

A former 50m butterfly world record holder, Huegill retired from the pool after the 2004 Athens Olympics and battled depression, weight and alcohol problems before making a highly publicised comeback in 2008.

He won golds at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and took a world championship bronze in Shanghai the following year before quitting the pool again after failing to qualify for the 2012 London Games.

Huegill's drugs charge follows problems with fellow former Australian swimmers in Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett in recent months.

Five-time Olympic champion Thorpe was checked into a health clinic in February to treat depression after he was found disoriented and behaving oddly near a parked car in a Sydney suburb.

Triple Olympic champion Hackett flew to the United States later the same month to seek treatment for an addiction to a sleepi