Ben Cousins reveals his huge regret about battle with addiction that saw him jailed several times – as telling detail surfaces from his Front Bar appearance

Former AFL champion Ben Cousins ​​has turned his turbulent life around after a heartbreaking battle with drug addiction, but there is still one big regret he can’t shake.

Cousins ​​played 238 games and scored 205 goals for West Coast between 1996 and 2007, winning the premiership in his penultimate season in Perth.

The former midfielder captained the Eagles from 2001 to 2005, winning the club’s best and fairest award in four of those five seasons.

He was suspended by the club in March 2007 – just six months after the grand final win over Sydney – for alleged substance abuse and sacked six months later after being arrested for drug possession and refusing to submit to a blood test.

The champion player has battled his drug demons for many years, but can now joke about his time in prison

He returned to the AFL with Richmond in 2009, before retiring at the end of the 2010 season.

Cousins ​​was imprisoned six times in thirteen years and spent seven months behind bars in 2020, when he apparently decided enough was enough.

The 45-year-old is now on the right track and reads the news for Seven in Western Australia, and will appear on Dancing With The Stars.

Cousins ​​appeared at The Front Bar on Wednesday night and said his only regret was how long it took to get clean.

“I wish it didn’t have to take so long and run its course the way it did,” he said.

Most Front Bar guests drink a beer while being interviewed, but Cousins ​​drank from a bottle of water instead (pictured)

The former Brownlow Medal winner says his life has never been better

“But yeah, it’s nice to be working and being busy, having some real ambition again, and, you know, just reconnecting with friends, family and even on a community level, you know.

“Life has never been better, honestly.”

Beer brand Furphy sponsors the show, with presenters Andy Maher, Mick Molloy and Sam Pang regularly seen with a glass in front of them – but in a reminder to stay vigilant against his demons, Cousins ​​drank from a bottle of water while most other guests opt for a lager.

When asked about his new job reading the sports news for Channel Seven in Perth, Cousins ​​hit back with a joke.

“It’s a lot easier than being in the news,” he said.

Cousins ​​also spoke about his time at Richmond and said he is eternally grateful to the club for taking him on.

“I don’t like Richmond – I like Richmond,” he said.

“I will forever be associated with the group and the football club because they played such an important role in my life, which goes far beyond football.

Cousins ​​said he will always have a place in his heart for Richmond after the club took a chance on him when he was cut by the Eagles

“But even in a pure football sense, one of the great things about not ending up on the West Coast was the opportunity to come here (to Melbourne) and play football.

“I’d been coming here every two weeks for 10 years, so by the time I moved here, probably three of my five best friends lived here.

“But it wasn’t until I got into the business and started living here that I learned to love this place, Melbourne, but Richmond was a big part of that.

‘We had some tough times on the pitch, but even after I finished, to just sit back as a supporter and fan of the football club from afar, to ride with the Tigers, there were a good eight or nine lads (where I played with) who went on to play in premierships and guide the club through a dynasty.

‘Seeing that from a distance is one of the greatest joys of my football life.’