Geoff Huegill has revealed how being diagnosed with ADHD changed his life after a turbulent decade left him in the news for all the wrong reasons.
The 45-year-old swimming champion and his ex-wife, publicist Sara Hills, were caught with a small amount of cocaine at Royal Randwick Racecourse in 2014.
Both pleaded guilty to drug possession and were given six-month suspended sentences.
Although they escaped conviction, the scandal was the beginning of the end for the couple, who have two daughters, Gigi and Mila. They announced their separation in 2018.
Looking back on his turbulent decade, Huegill said on the SBS program: Insight On Tuesday he had to take life one day at a time after the cocaine incident had brought him to a low point.
“Taking the path of sobriety was one of the best things I ever did,” he said on the program, which focused on the theme of “second chances.”
The former athlete said his sobriety helped him on his way to being “diagnosed with ADHD.”
Confirming the diagnosis allowed Huegill to fully understand himself and some of the mistakes he had made in the past.
Geoff Huegill made headlines in 2014 after he and his ex-wife Sara were reportedly found in a suite at Royal Randwick with a small amount of cocaine (the couple are pictured on the day of the drug bust).
The champion swimmer (pictured in 2011) just announced he’s been diagnosed with ADHD, marking a major step in his recovery
He said he always knew he was somehow “unique” because of his dedication to elite swimming. But one of the challenges of retirement was realizing that while he was very successful in some areas, he fell short in others.
And the ADHD diagnosis helped him make “official” what he already knew.
“The wave of emotions I went through after the diagnosis… I kept thinking, ‘Why didn’t I look into this sooner?’ because it’s absolutely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my entire life,” he said.
Huegill admitted that the cocaine incident put a huge strain on his relationship with Sara.
Huegill said his ADHD diagnosis helped him make “official” what he already knew about himself during a TV appearance Tuesday night (pictured)
Huegill admits the 2014 cocaine incident put a huge strain on his marriage to Sara (pictured together), which ended in 2018
“I lost sponsors. I lost job opportunities. I was building businesses — I had to close all those businesses,” he said.
“Even though I wasn’t convicted of a crime, it was still ‘death by media.’”
Of his relationship with Sara, Huegill added: “Unfortunately, I lost that marriage. There were a lot of other factors why that marriage didn’t work.
‘It’s only when your life is in the spotlight that people deal with pressure in a certain way. And that’s the hard part.
“At the end of the day I realized that I can only control what I can control.”
After their divorce, Sara resumed her maiden name Hills and moved to Tasmania.
Huegill began dating attorney Roxy Toll in 2019 and the couple welcomed their first son, Rafe, in 2021.
The couple, who now live in Singapore, welcomed their second child in 2023.