Garry Lyon opens up on his personal life in an emotional interview

Lyon, the former Footy Show co-host, took time out from his media commitments with Channel Nine following revelations in late 2015 he was in a relationship with the ex-wife of good friend and fellow Footy Show panellist Billy Brownless.

The pair fell out and Lyon took time away from the spotlight to deal with mental health issues.

He’s now returned to work as part of SEN radio’s new breakfast program — alongside Tim Watson and Hamish McLachlan — and will be part of Nine’s Footy Classified program that starts later in the year.

On Tuesday morning, Lyon revealed he was still in a relationship with Brownless’ ex-wife Nicky.

“I’m still in a relationship with Nicky,” Lyon said. “Nicky and I are together and I’m eternally grateful she was able to support me through all of this and I’d like to think there’ll be no more interest.”

Sheahan asked, given the two have not been seen in public in Melbourne together, whether they actually go out. While Lyon spoke candidly about his own personal struggles during the interview, he often became defensive when pressed on matters that involved other parties.

“Do you understand why I find that a hard question from you?” Lyon said. “I expect that from the front part of the paper.

“Who cares? You care whether we go out for dinner?”

Lyon, a fiercely private person, said he finds it “embarrassing” and “hates it” that his private life has become a point of interest for the media.

BROWNLESS SNUBBED LYON

Pressed on whether he would have handled the situation in late 2015 better, when news of his relationship with Nicky Brownless became public, Lyon said that question was based on the assumption he hadn’t tried to talk to his good friend about the development.

“You’re assuming we didn’t talk to him,” Lyon said. “But that’s for Bill and I and Nicky.

“There’s no easy way to broach that subject and I’m not saying I was jumping out of my skin to talk to Bill about it.

“If you could do things differently, in hindsight, maybe. I know there’s a lot of hurt as a result of that and I’ve got to carry that.”

The former Melbourne Demons captain said he texted Brownless before news of the relationship became public, but Brownless never responded.

‘SERIOUSLY DARK TIMES’

Lyon was clearly uncomfortable at various stages throughout the 37-minute interview, saying he “couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting down and talking about my life”, but was only speaking because he knew he’d have to at some stage and just wanted to “get it out of the road”.

“There’s obviously been a lot of pain for people I’ve been close to for a long time: my wife Melissa, my boys and Bill and his family. It’s important publicly that I apologise for what I’ve done and what I put them through.

“I do know that it’s been really hard for them ... I genuinely acknowledge how difficult it’s been and it was hard to see them go through a lot of that, and I am really regretful of that.”

Lyon denied the prospect of living ever became too much to bear, but admitted he “had some dark times, seriously dark times”.

“I was battling, I had battled since the end of 2015,” he said. “I got myself into a hole — it’s hard to talk about this — I couldn’t get off the couch I didn’t want to face a day. You just stop enjoying doing what you’re doing.

“Normally I would be relishing a break and getting away (at the end of the football season) but I couldn’t and didn’t.

“It just challenges you every day. You can’t reach out, I couldn’t pick the phone up and say, ‘I’m struggling’.

“There were things that needed to happen towards the end of the year and I wasn’t able to do them (social commitments). I just couldn’t and didn’t want to.”

‘IT’S THE HARDEST THING IN THE WORLD’

Throughout all the turmoil, Lyon never turned away from his kids. The 49-year-old has three sons, and said one of the things he struggled with most was to sit down and explain his vulnerability to them.

“It’s the hardest thing in the world, everyone wants to be a hero to your kids,” Lyon said. “They’ve seen me doing what I do in the media, so I try and shield them from your emotions because you don’t want to worry them about how you’re feeling.

“Inevitably I had to have that discussion.

“As a parent you want to protect them so you don’t want to worry them but this time I had to sit down and say, ‘Look, I’m battling with this ... this is what I’m dealing with’.

“From that first conversation to now ... they’ve grown as young men, they’ve taken responsibility, they’ve supported their mother through all of this, they’ve been extraordinary.”

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Originally published as Garry Lyon drops Brownless bombshell