Sharp of suit and quick of wit, he’s the first to make a joke out of his own diminutive stature or contort his face into cartoonish expressions of aghast when one of the family members proffers a risque response. For his 600,000-strong audience, he is the perfect blend of wholesome fun and rakish charm.
But just six months ago, it was a very different picture. Grant had been thrust into headlines for all the wrong reasons, exposed for allegedly abusing the drug crystal methamphetamine – more commonly known as ice or meth. He and his wife Cheryl, it was claimed, had been admitted to rehab to seek help for their addiction to the powerful drug.
The ex-Sunrise weatherman denied the allegations but admitted he had been very unwell, which he has since variously blamed on chronic fatigue, a mystery stomach bug and over-work at Channel 7. He and Cheryl had attended The Cabin drug and alcohol rehab centre in Thailand, Grant said in a statement, to seek help with his exhaustion and her post-traumatic stress and anxiety.
“The Cabin was recommended to us as being world renowned for helping with many issues. There were people in our group being treated for executive burnout, chronic fatigue and other forms of addiction not related to drugs or alcohol,” he tells The Weekly.
“The doctors said it would be a long process getting back to full health, but I’m most of the way through that now.”
Grant also tells The Weekly he hasn’t decided not pursue legal action against Woman’s Day (which has the same publisher as The Weekly) for breaking the story earlier this year.
“We are still considering moving it forward and it is with our lawyers. The cost both financially and otherwise of entering into a long and expensive lawsuit is something that needs to be balanced with the potential upside. Defamation suits are difficult for everyone and we have a young daughter that we need to consider before ourselves,” he said.
