Warning: This post deals with suicide.
He’s not won many new fans of late, but in a rare moment of vulnerability, Anthony Mundine has broken down in tears on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here while describing his part in saving a fan’s life.
While chatting to camp mate Jackie Gillies, the boxing champ began talking about the impact he had on his fans, sharing one story that truly “touched” him.
Mundine told of how a man was just about to kill himself when his 13-year-old daughter walked in on him.
“She was going hysterical, said, ‘Dad, what are you doing? What are you doing?’ And [he said] ‘I need to go, I need to do this.'”
It’s then, Mundine said, that the teen mentioned something that managed to shake her father from a place of complete hopelessness.
“And she goes, ‘Well, what about Anthony Mundine?’ Because he always told her that he always wanted to meet me before he died, you know. And then he goes, ‘Yep, that’s true daughter, we’re going to meet him.'”
Although the 42-year-old didn’t go into detail about how the meeting came about, he said the man did achieve his dream. It was while speaking of this meeting to the cameras that Mundine began to sob.
“He came and met me. He said… He said, ‘Your courage, your strength, helped me out of this dark place.’ And, um… That touched me, man. I know I’m doing something – something right.
Watch the video to see the exchange. (Post continues.)
“When I met him, he seemed good, you know. He seemed – he turned the corner.”
After hearing the story, Real Housewives of Melbourne star Gillies commented that Mundine “probably saved thousands of lives.”
“You have inspired kids… Because you care about people, Anthony, you care about people’s feelings and that’s not something to be ashamed of, man.
“You can inspire people, that’s what you’re meant to do.
“You know, boxing and you’re known for that, but I believe that there is why you do what you do.”
Is anyone else feeling just a tad softer towards Anthony Mundine?
If you or anyone you care about is dealing with depression or facing crisis you can phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Obsessed with Married At First Sight? For all of our recaps, posts and podcasts, click here.
Top Comments
Yeah that part was touching. Less touching was him earlier describing how women should be covered up because men apparently can't control their lust.
its actually a refreshing reminder of our shared humanity....I think sometimes we get so focused on people who have opinions that we don't agree with that we lose sight of the human behind those opinions. We hear something we don't like (for example as a gay man, I don't like Mundine's opinions about gay people) and then from that one statement we extrapolate an entire idea of who this person is and what they are all about, without taking any time to get to know the human behind that opinion. A human who has had a lifetime of experiences, highs, lows, joys and traumas, all which have brought them to this point AND this opinion.
This is one of the reasons why I hate using inflammatory buzzwords when it comes to people..."racist, sexist, feminazi, misogynist, homophobe, snowflake"...all of these can be used to dehumanise another person, because it's easier to battle an enemy when you don't have to recognise their humanity. Its only when we move past the labels that we apply to others, that we can try and build some bridges and better understand the complexity of each and every individual person. I can dislike Mundine's opinions about gays and women, but deeply respect his role he is had in helping this man. Those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive. Its not always an easy road to walk...but its ultimately far more rewarding