Cousins’ cabbie meltdown: AFL star Ben gets into heated argument with taxi driver at Sydney Airport ahead of Dancing With The Stars debut

Ben Cousins ​​has rebuilt his life after a very public fall from grace in the late 2000s, but his patience was recently tested.

The former AFL Brownlow Medalist, 45, appeared to have an altercation with a 13Cabs taxi driver on Wednesday.

He was being dropped off by the company at Sydney Airport ahead of his Dancing With The Stars Australia debut when the taxi driver chased him into the terminal.

The pair were seen having an animated discussion over an apparent problem with payment.

Luckily, it all ended well as they appeared to part ways amicably and give each other a thumbs up.

After the interaction, Ben seemed eager, if a little nervous, as he prepared to fly to Melbourne to film Dancing With The Stars.

The footy legend kept it casual with a long black T-shirt and cargo pants, and sported some very stylish color blocking with a set of all-black sneakers.

After checking in his suitcase, the athlete carried a huge black carry-on in one hand while carrying a red garment bag in the other.

The sighting comes as Ben continues to rebuild his life after a fall from grace in 2007, revealing that part of his redemption arc will involve reality TV.

The footballer previously said he was approached several times by Channel Seven’s SAS Australia, which is known for signing up controversial public figures.

Ben has so far declined, but he has agreed to do Dancing With The Stars this year, explaining that focusing on a new challenge will help him rebuild his life.

The athlete recently told the newspaper Herald Sun he agreed to participate in the dance competition in 2008 before changing his mind.

“I’m in a pretty good position at the moment and I’m in a position to take on some new challenges and this has happened and probably for the first time in a while I’m in a position to give it a try,” he said.

“This worked for where I was mentally and wanted to throw myself into something.”

When it comes to rebuilding his life, Ben said there is “no quick fix” and he is willing to pay his dues.

“It’s certainly not lost on me, or forgotten, the hard work and dedication it took to get back to where I am today,” he explained.

‘It’s a long-term game… You don’t just do something and then it suddenly changes.’

Ben won the Brownlow Medal in 2005 and captained the West Coast Eagles from 2001 to 2005, securing the club’s best and fairest awards for four of that season.

He played 238 games and scored 205 goals for the West Coast Eagles, winning a premiership with the club in 2006.

His dramatic fall from grace was well documented starting in 2007, when he publicly battled drug addiction and dealt with his failed relationship with Maylea Tinecheff.

He was later dismissed and banned from the AFL for a year for repeated offences.

In 2021, Susan Backshell, who has acted as a mentor to Ben since his last stint in prison, told Daily Mail Australia that he is focusing solely on his children.

Sitting in a cold, cramped prison cell for the sixth time in thirteen years, Ben decided after seven months behind bars in 2020 that enough was enough.

He told her he wanted to make amends and get his life in order, and Susan gave him an ultimatum: “Give it your all, or forget it all.”

Since Ben was released in December 2020, Susan said she never doubted his commitment to sobriety and improving his community.

Last year, Ben announced that he would be participating in several speaking engagements during his Such Is Life Tour, which kicked off in July.

The tour promised to tell untold stories from his football career and marked something of a catharsis for the controversial Brownlow medalist.