Cam – who makes up one-half of MAFS’ most successful couple ‘Cam & Jules – has candidly spoken about undertaking a stint in rehab when his sporting career ended eight years ago.

The former cricketer told Gus Worland on Not An Overnight Success podcast, that he struggled to find meaning after he hung up his bat and ball.

“Once you lose value and you lose purpose as a cricketer, you completely lose everything that you wake up for in the morning,” he said, adding: “I remember sitting in a hospital bed, in mental rehab, and I remember thinking the only thing that was going to keep me going was that I hadn’t been married yet, and I hadn’t had kids.”

The reality star told Worland that when he left his cricketing career in Canada and returned to Australia, he was struggling with his mental health.

“I couldn’t put pants on, and I was mentally and physically crippled,” he said and explained that he checked himself into the Currumbin Clinic in Palm Beach shortly after.

He said he told himself at the time, “You’ve got two choices here: either you’re done, or you’ve got an opportunity to still be happy.”

Fortunately, the stint in rehab helped him achieve a better head space, and he applied for MAFS shortly after in the hope of finding love.

Love Film & TV?

Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

Cam was paired up with Jules on season six of the reality show, and the couple quickly fell for each other. At the final MAFS commitment ceremony, Cam got down on one knee and legally proposed to his on-screen wife, who happily accepted.

The couple were married in 2019 in a ceremony that was televised for fans, called A Current Affair’s Married At First Sight Wedding Special: Cam and Jules. They welcomed their son Oliver Chase Merchant into the world in October 2020.

For more on this topic, follow the Film and TV Observer.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine