AFL commentator Kane Cornes has spoken publicly about his fight against debilitating anxiety and rejected his father’s claim that it stems from a traumatic childhood incident involving a babysitter.
Cornes, 43, has become one of the AFL’s most polarising, controversial and successful commentators after a stellar playing career with Port Adelaide.
But despite his hardline TV persona, he has displayed his more thoughtful side in a new interview.
‘I went through a really hard stage with that when we’d just won the premiership [in 2004],’ Cornes told Unfiltered.
‘I thought something was wrong with me in my head, so I was getting all the scans and stuff and going to the doctors.
‘I’m like, “Something’s wrong with me. I’m not feeling right, something is wrong.”‘
Kane Cornes (pictured) has opened up about the anxiety issues that led to him getting scans to figure out what was wrong with him mentally
Cornes (pictured for Port Adelaide in 2015) said not being able to keep up with the mental side of the game drove him to retirement
The footy star has also claimed his father Graham – who is a South Australian footy legend in his own right – blames himself for the anxiety problems due to an incident that occurred when he was being babysat as a boy.
Kane Cornes has previously revealed that he always had a fear of being left alone as a child.
‘Dad points to that (the babysitting incident),’ Cornes said.
‘I remember that; they went out and I was with the babysitter (who) couldn’t hear me and I couldn’t get out of the room, and I was screaming and it was a horrific moment.
‘But I don’t put that down to the anxiety that I’ve had later on.’
The Channel Seven star has previously said of the incident: ‘He [Graham] got out of the car and was confronted with the sight of me clawing at the glass on the window, tears running down my face and crying hysterically, “Mummy! Daddy!”‘
Cornes revealed he retired from the game due to the mental side of the sport, rather than not being able to keep up with the physical requirements of being a first-grader.
‘I was great physically. I reckon I could have played three years ago, like at 40. So physically, it was never that,’ he said.
Pictured: Cornes’ father Graham, who is a footy legend in his own right, with third wife Nicole
Cornes (pictured) is widely regarded as one of Port Adelaide’s greatest ever players
‘But for me, I marvel at the mental strength of those that are playing for a long time because you have to be so mentally strong.
‘And I mean mentally strong in that you forget what’s happened. So you have a bad game [and say], “OK, forget that, I’ll move on”.
‘I couldn’t. I was horrible if I played poorly. I didn’t speak to people, even the ones that I loved, for a couple of days.’
Cornes played 300 matches for Port Adelaide and kicked 93 goals for the Power.
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