Andrew O’Keefe breathed a huge sigh of relief when he had a victory in court today. But these photos show the fallen TV star’s sad reality…

Andrew O’Keefe appeared in good spirits outside court on Tuesday, even joking to reporters that he “can’t stay away from court.”

It was perhaps no wonder that the former Deal or No Deal presenter was in good spirits, given that he had just avoided a criminal conviction after being caught driving on a suspended licence in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.

But the troubled ex-TV star appeared somber after the cameras stopped rolling.

O’Keefe, 52, appeared dejected as he rested on a stone bench in a park in Paddington in the city’s eastern suburbs.

The former Chase Australia presenter, wearing a checked turquoise suit with a tie and socks in different shades of blue, dabbed his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

The fallen star drank a glass of Lucozade and stared into the distance.

At one point he appeared to spit dejectedly into the grass at his feet.

It was a far cry from his highlights as a presenter of programmes such as Weekend Sunrise and The Rich List.

O’Keefe represented himself in court on Tuesday, where he convinced the magistrate that he was on his way to get his driver’s license back when police stopped him on June 20 and that he did not believe he was breaking the law.

He told reporters he had dealt with “a reasonable magistrate, which is always good”.

Despite his victory in the case, Judge Michael Allen pointed to O’Keefe’s well-documented criminal history, including convictions for domestic violence and drug possession, which he is currently appealing.

“The sad reality is that you are not unknown here, if only for the more serious offences,” Mr Allen told him.

“It is serious that you were on parole at the time of this lesser offence and that is a factor I have to take into account.”

Judge Allen did not convict O’Keefe of the offense, but instead sentenced him to 12 months’ probation, a form of parole.

Asked if he thought his career was turning around, O’Keefe replied: “Well, I hope so. There’s still some work to be done, but we’ll know soon.”

“I’ll see you again tomorrow (in court),” he said.

He is accused of driving while suspended and of harassment after an unrelated incident last month.

O’Keefe has not yet entered a plea but will appear in court again on August 28 to hear what happened to him after he appealed a series of domestic violence and drug-related offences.

Police officers the 52-year-old stopped on Cranbrook Road in Sydneythe affluent suburb of Bellevue Hill at 11.45 am on Sunday July 28 after reportedly being “under the influence of drugs” behind the wheel of a Mercedes sedan.

He tested positive on the side of the road and officers discovered an ice pipe in his jacket pocket. O’Keefe denied it was his, and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest otherwise.

The former quiz king’s downfall and open battle with addiction, which saw him stint in rehab more than a dozen times, is a story that sounds all too depressingly familiar to Andrea Simmons.

The former millionaire, who lost her family, her wealth and her health to a methamphetamine addiction before kicking the habit and starting a business recovery programsaid she wanted to offer O’Keefe help.

“I would love to talk to Andrew and try because I have a great chance of getting through the chaos,” Ms Simmons told Daily Mail Australia.

“I would like to see him restored. I hate to see people fall from their glory like that. I know how to fight that battle and I feel like I can help him.”

Ms Simmons compared O’Keefe to AFL star Ben Cousins, who overcame his own public battles with addiction and run-ins with the law to land a spot as a presenter at Channel Seven.

The campaigner, who spends her time teaching in schools, youth detention centres and prisons to warn young people about the dangers of addiction, said she knew O’Keefe was “in pain”.

“He must be going through a tough time being in the spotlight for drug possession, being caught by the police and being in court,” she said.

“He’s suffering from loss of family, shame, depression. I know the journey and it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Simmons still believes O’Keefe can find redemption from his problems.

“The road back after you fall from grace, like Andrew, is incredibly difficult,” Simmons said.

“You’re fighting your own demons inside. You feel like a failure and you ask yourself, ‘Who am I? What have I done?’ I gave drugs to women with children. Where are they now?”

But Ms Simmons said the only way to achieve recovery was to delay judgement.

“Anyone could fall from their throne in the blink of an eye tomorrow,” she said.

“Who are we to judge? Shouldn’t we help each other get back up?

‘I really want to sit down with Andrew and show him who he really is.

“He’s someone who’s had a wonderful career. He’s someone who’s touched so many lives and he can get that back. Just because he made a mistake doesn’t mean he failed.

“He can get back on the horse.”

O’Keefe declined to comment.