"Worst time of my life": Grant Denyer reveals drug struggle that nearly cost him his relationship
Grant Denyer has opened up about his struggles with pain medication after breaking his back in a 2008 truck crash.
Speaking on his 2DayFM Breakfast show on Wednesday morning, Grant revealed that the “hardcore” pain medication he was prescribed gave him hallucinations and episodes that almost cost him his relationship with partner Chezzi.
“You go to a hospital, they fix the injury, but they don’t equip you with the skills to get through the next bit, the recovery,” he said.
The 41-year-old said he was not prepared for the impact the painkillers would have on him, which he described as “worse than the injury itself”. One of such was recurring nightmares which featured his “deepest, darkest fears”.
“I could barely walk, so I had a dream and then I woke up, I believed we were in the middle of a home invasion … I’d go to fight off people that weren't there,” he said.
He also said his hallucinations put Chezzi “through the wringer”. “I’ve said this before, I said a lot of horrible stuff that I feel bad about,” he admitted, recalling a time when he accused her of going to London without him.
The relationship was tested the most when the medications prompted Grant into an “escaping period”.
“I was down the street in my undies — this is Castlereagh Street in the city (in Sydney) — trying to find scotch, in my undies,” he said.
“The tipping point, where my wife nearly left me, I was missing for quite a long time now, a couple of hours … I was asleep in the emergency fire escape in a high-rise building, sleeping on the floor in my undies next to a human poo.”
Earlier this year, the Gold Logie winner also discussed the truck accident on the radio show for a 10-year-challenge. He shared his fears back then over the possibility that he might never walk again.
“It was the worst time of my life,” he said. “I spent the next four months lying flat on my back in hospital.”
Grant also revealed his gratitude for wife (then-girlfriend) Chezzi for staying through the tough time. “She could see through that and it was a very difficult period, I expected her to run for the hills.”
Last year at the Logies on the Gold Coast, the presenter dedicated his Gold Logie win to his “beautiful wife” Chezzi.
“We are an incredible team and you've been there by my side through the best and the worst,” Grant said in his speech. “And we've had some down times and we've had some great times and I want you to share in this moment because this is yours as much as it's mine.”