Married At First Sight’s Cameron Merchant reveals he went to rehab and was HOMELESS after his cricket career ended: ‘I was physically crippled’
Married At First Sight star Cameron Merchant has revealed how he hit rock bottom when his sporting career ended eight years ago.
The former cricketer, 38, who is now happily married to wife Jules Robinson, said on Wednesday he was homeless and even spent time in a ‘mental rehab’ facility after ‘losing his purpose’ in life after retirement.
‘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 on Gus Worland’s Not An Overnight Success podcast.
Married At First Sight star Cameron Merchant (left, with wife Jules Robinson) has revealed how he hit rock bottom when his sporting career ended eight years ago
He continued: ‘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.’
Cameron, who is now a father to one-year-old son Ollie, went on to say it’s common for young cricketers to find themselves in trouble after retiring from the sport because they have ‘no fall-back plan’.
He lost his livelihood after finishing his professional career in Canada, and ended up homeless and alone for four days at Vancouver Airport.
The former cricketer, 38, said on Wednesday he was homeless and even spent time in a ‘mental rehab’ facility after ‘losing his purpose’ in life after retirement
Cameron is seen here playing for the Wellington Firebirds in New Zealand in November 2010
‘I couldn’t put pants on, and I was mentally and physically crippled,’ he said.
He stayed on a friend’s couch for a couple of weeks after returning to Sydney, then checked himself into the Currumbin Clinic in Palm Beach.
He recalled telling himself at the time: ‘You’ve got two choices here: either you’re done, or you’ve got an opportunity to still be happy.’
Cameron decided to push forward when he realised he had achieved everything he wanted in life except starting a family.
Cameron lost his livelihood after finishing his professional career, and ended up homeless and alone for four days at Vancouver Airport. He entered a ‘mental rehab’ upon his return to Sydney
He said in 2019 that meeting Jules, 40, on MAFS ‘saved’ him. The couple went on to legally marry in a ceremony that was televised on A Current Affair.
Cameron hinted at his mental health demons during the show’s sixth season when he broke down in tears halfway through the experiment for no apparent reason.
While his relationship with Jules was harmonious, the pressure of the experiment and the troubles the other couples were going through had started to affect him.
Cameron decided to push forward when he realised he had achieved everything he wanted in life except starting a family. He is seen here with his son Ollie, who was born in October 2022
Responding to trolls who criticised his display of emotion, he said on Instagram: ‘We are all human and sometimes things don’t feel so great and we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders.
‘I’m a big believer in: feel what you need to feel, embrace it and get it out, understand what it is, pick yourself up and keep being amazing and moving forward.
‘This week, I copped criticism for showing my emotions, but I’m not ashamed of it one bit. To those of you I’m sorry you feel that way and I hope in essence you are doing okay yourselves.’
If you or anyone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue.
Cameron hinted at his mental health demons during the sixth season of MAFS when he broke down in tears halfway through the experiment for no apparent reason
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