- Cooper Johns says he suffers from kleptomania
- Former football star says he used to steal a lot
NRL player turned radio star Cooper Johns has made the stunning confession that he has kleptomania, a mental health disorder characterised by an irresistible urge to steal.
The 25-year-old son of Newcastle Knights legend Matty Johns – who played for Melbourne and Manly before starting his radio career with Kyle & Jackie O – opened up about his psychological condition on the Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns podcast.
‘He is a hoarder,’ Matty told guest and former footy star Joel Caine.
Cooper then explained that he has always had a problem culling stuff that he owns.
‘It’s pretty well documented [that I] used to steal a lot,’ Cooper confessed.
‘Massive klepto.’
Former footy player Cooper Johns (pictured with Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O) has revealed that he has kleptomania
Johns (pictured playing for Manly) explained that he used to steal a lot in his younger days
Matty recalled taking his son to the Triple M radio studios, where Cooper would steal from people.
‘He stole ten bucks off Jamie Angel, the boss, once. Off his desk,’ said Matty.
Cooper then recalled the time he stole horny goat weed from another workmate.
‘Remember that stuff?’ said Cooper.
‘I was like 12 and I just took it not knowing what it was. I didn’t have any use for it at that time – I wish I had it now, I could put it to good use these days.’
It’s not the first time that Cooper has spoken about his condition, with the footy funnyman revealing in 2023 on the Kyle & Jackie O show just how much he’d steal from the building that houses Austereo, which airs the program.
‘I used to bring an empty backpack up into Dad’s work when I was younger,’ he said.
‘Why was it empty?’ Kyle asked.
The son of Matthew Johns revealed he used to steal from his dad’s radio office
‘Because I would steal stuff from the office, from people’s desks and stuff,’ Cooper responded.
‘You little klepto,’ a shocked Kyle said.
Jackie O asked if Cooper had ever stolen from them personally.
‘Yeah. I don’t know if it was your desks or not,’ Cooper said as they all laughed.
‘I would steal a whole lot of stuff.’
Johns quit the NRL at the start of 2024 following stints with the Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles dating back to 2020.
The former five-eighth, who is the son of Rugby League legend Matty Johns and nephew of Andrew Johns, then joined The Kyle and Jackie O Show as a full-time radio producer.
