Former TV game presenter Andrew O’Keefe has opened up about his new life after shock assault charges led him to rehab.
Andrew O’Keefe was once one of Australia’s most beloved stars, and he graced our screens in several successful shows for years.
But today, she leads a very different life away from the glamor of television.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraphthe first The Chase Australia The host has spoken about life in a court-ordered rehabilitation while awaiting a hearing on the shock allegations that assaulted a former sex worker.
To read the full interview, look inside the $ 350 weekly booth and how each day of the visit goes. The Daily Telegraph
O’Keefe revealed that his days now start early at 5.30am, with the former president of White Ribbon Australia looking in the mirror every morning and repeating the same mantra: telling himself that he is a “good man.”
“It simply came to our notice then. It’s a holistic view of one’s place in the world, “he said Telegraph.
“That is, you deal with addiction issues and patterns of behavior, but you do it in a very focused way by being a useful member of the family and the community.”
Located on the north coast of NSW, O’Keefe will call the facility home for the next six to 12 months, after the NSW Supreme Court released him on bail in late May.
Inside the camp, life is very regulated, and O’Keefe has to go to bed daily, attend Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous meetings, follow a grueling exercise plan, help with cleaning and other chores, and participate in counseling and blood sessions and urine tests to demonstrate sobriety.
O’Keefe’s impressive fall
The 50-year-old had been detained since he was arrested in January, then charged with assaulting and offending a woman in an apartment in Sydney’s CBD.
O’Keefe pleaded not guilty to six counts, including intentional suffocation of a person without consent, three counts of common assault, and one count of assault that resulted in actual bodily harm.
In February, he pleaded guilty to a separate charge of possession of drugs.
Under the terms of his bail, O’Keefe must remain in rehab for at least six months, take any medication prescribed to him, and see a psychiatrist and psychologist weekly.
Through his lawyers, O’Keefe has previously stated that he acted in self-defense and that he himself was the victim of an assault.
The complainant in his case has not been charged with any crime.
During a bail hearing, the Crown prosecutor told the court that the woman and O’Keefe met when he bought her sexual services and later developed a friendship.
The court said O’Keefe claimed before the alleged assault that the woman owed him about $ 20,000 and was pressuring him to give her more money to start a flower business.
O’Keefe will also return to court for another hearing in June after pleading not guilty to violating a detained violence order set up to protect an allegedly different victim who also cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The former TV star was abandoned by Channel 7 after a 17-year partnership that saw him appear on a number of hit shows, including The Chase Australia, Sunrise Weekend, Deal or No Deal, The Rich List and other specials at prime time, including the Logie Awards.
He was awarded the Order of Australia for his work on television and charity, including as a former ambassador for the White Ribbon Domestic Violence Organization.
– with NCA NewsWire