He may be retired for 14 years, but Ben Cousins can still draw a crowd. Fans of the former AFL star and TV personality flooded the Batavia Coast Conference Centre on Wednesday night eager to meet and greet the 46-year-old during his visit to Geraldton. More than 150 people took the opportunity to sit down and hear the former West Coast champion open up about his years on the field and how he turned to a career in television.
Fans mingled with Cousins during the VIP pre-show and snapped pictures with the footy great. Cousins fronted the audience with Z Entertainment’s Alan Zanich during a live show revealing unique insights into his life as a captain, premiership player, Brownlow medallist and, more recently, a TV presenter and reality TV show contestant. Without revealing any spoilers, he spoke about his stint on Dancing With The Stars and how he fell head over heels in love with professional dancing.
The footy talent recently advanced to the semifinals with his professional partner Siobhan Power. “I haven’t been exposed to that world before and I wish I had. Pretty quickly, what I realised, just the opportunity to train and dance with somebody who is that good for that many hours, opportunities like that don’t come by,” he said.
“I’d like to think my best dance is still ahead of me, but it has been fun.” He gave fans an insight into life as a sports news presenter with 7NEWS, describing his reluctance at the beginning before growing fond of the new gig. After.