Former Family Feud host Grant Denyer took home the Gold Logie at Sunday Night’s ceremony, and has since spoken candidly about his struggle with prescription drugs after suffering a near-fatal crash in 2008.
Speaking to Confidential, the 40-year-old host revealed he didn’t give a ‘s***t’ if he ‘lived or died.’
‘It was a time where I didn’t really give a s**t whether I lived or died,’ Grant said. ‘I felt like I had nothing to live for.’
Denyer admitted it was the birth of his first daughter, Sailor, 7, that helped him make a healthy recovery.
‘I reckon if I didn’t have my daughter, at that particular point, I might not be here,’ he told the publication.
In 2008, Grant broke his lower vertebrae in eight places after attempting to jump cars in a monster truck.
The popular presenter’s recovery took six months, and it was unclear if he would ever walk again.
‘There are all sorts of traps that come with medications and warnings and no one prepares you for that,’ he said. ‘It’s a hard cycle to get out of. I was a bit broken, sad, lost.’
Grant also admitted that it was his wife Cheryl that also helped him out of his ‘dark period.’
‘I mentally wasn’t well. I was on pain medication for a long time and I probably wasn’t aware of the effects of that,’ he said.
‘I just didn’t have an education to be able to deal with it. I think I was caught in that trap and a whole whirlwind of emotions that meant I was at my lowest.’
When presented with the Gold Logie at the 60th Annual Logie Awards at the Star Gold Coast, Denyer took the opportunity to thank Family Feud.
The 40-year-old presenter emotionally referenced his time in a Thai health facility in 2013 during his speech, as he admitted he had been ‘very unwell’ and ‘in a hole before Family Feud came along.’
‘Family Feud is important, it came along for me in my life at a time where I really wasn’t quite sure if I would ever work again or if I wanted to,’ he told the crowd.
Struggling to hold in the tears, he continued: ‘I wasn’t very well. I was pretty sad and a bit lost and I was in a bit of a hole.’
‘Family Feud gave me the ladder to crawl out of that hole. It gave me mojo. It gave me courage. It gave me confidence. Family Feud, thank you so much, you saved me.’
Denyer beat out fellow nominees Tracey Grimshaw, Amanda Keller, Jessica Marais, Andrew Winter and Rodger Corser.
The host, who also won Most Popular Presenter, had his wife Cheryl by his side to celebrate the emotional achievement.
The emotional host then spoke lovingly of wife of eight years, Cheryl, and their two daughters, Sailor and Scout, and thanked Cheryl for sticking with him through the ‘best and worst times.’
‘To my beautiful wife, Chezzi. Oh my God, we did it, darlin’. We did it! We b****y did it. We are an incredible team and I want you to share in this.
‘You’ve been there to hole me up when I wasn’t so great. You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and you made the two most beautiful girls, Sailor and Scout.’
He concluded his speech by saying: ‘I’ve said ‘survey says’ 30,000 times in the last four years. But for the very last time. Survey Says, thank you for making this your top answer.’
Before the big win, Denyer spoke exclusively to New Idea about what winning Gold would mean to him.
‘Winning tonight would be a great underdog story, it would be a great way to send off the show. It’s taken on a life of its own that I didn’t expect the last few days,’ he said.
‘Feud has been really great, but TV show’s come to an end and then something magical has come along as a result of that.
‘Game of Games is going to be monumentally large and so much fun. I can’t wait to meet Ellen,’ Denyer said of his upcoming project, Ellen Degeneres’ Game of Games.
‘We’re going to be working together pretty soon on that. She’s been in Uganda working on a conservation program with gorillas but she’s now back on the ground now. We’re hoping to meet up real soon. I can’t wait to meet her, my head will explode when that happens.’
He concluded his speech by saying: ‘I’ve said ‘survey says’ 30,000 times in the last four years. But for the very last time. Survey Says, thank you for making this your top answer.’
Before the big win, Denyer spoke exclusively to New Idea about what winning Gold would mean to him.
‘Winning tonight would be a great underdog story, it would be a great way to send off the show. It’s taken on a life of its own that I didn’t expect the last few days,’ he said.
‘Feud has been really great, but TV show’s come to an end and then something magical has come along as a result of that.
‘Game of Games is going to be monumentally large and so much fun. I can’t wait to meet Ellen,’ Denyer said of his upcoming project, Ellen Degeneres’ Game of Games.
‘We’re going to be working together pretty soon on that. She’s been in Uganda working on a conservation program with gorillas but she’s now back on the ground now. We’re hoping to meet up real soon. I can’t wait to meet her, my head will explode when that happens.’
