Boxer Harry Garside admits he was on the brink of suicide as he opens up about the devastating toll of domestic violence allegations

Australian boxing star Harry Garside has opened up about the toll the domestic violence allegations against him took on him in 2023, revealing he came close to suicide.

Garside, 26, was arrested by NSW Police in dramatic scenes at Sydney Airport as he returned home with his father after filming reality TV show I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in South Africa earlier last year.

Police have dropped charges against the boxer in a Sydney court after his legal team produced video evidence showing his ex-girlfriend was the alleged aggressor during a March 1 incident.

Garside had steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings brought against him.

Garside's ex-girlfriend was later arrested at her Bellevue Hill home in July and charged with assaulting and intimidating her former partner.

Garside was charged with domestic violence in 2023, but the charges were later dropped

Garside has now spoken about the terrible toll the allegations have taken on him, revealing that his mother was the reason he didn't kill himself.

'I feel like I became a man last year. It was a real coming-of-age moment for me,” he told the newspaper Neil Mitchell asks why podcast.

'I never thought about suicide so often during that period.

“Being in the public eye… not wanting to leave the house, it was so, so hard. And the extra element that I try to show to the people around me: 'I'm doing well, I'm doing well, I'm going to get through this.'

'[But] they were all just thoughts of not wanting to be here. The only reason I didn't was my mother. The one day where it wasn't just thoughts but action, it turned out to be Mother's Day… I remember thinking how selfish I would be if I did it that day.

'I was really thinking about it, I wanted to crash my car… I'm sorry.

“I hate rewatching things like this. I wanted to do something stupid and I kept reminding myself that it's Mother's Day.

The Australian boxing star says his mother is the reason he is still here

“And Mom would have to be reminded of that for the rest of her life.

'That her son is not there and that he did it on this day.

“So I didn't do it.

“And I'm so grateful that I didn't do it… But absolutely, I was in the depths of hell for that period.”

After winning bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Mr Garside has made no secret of his desire to chase Australia's first Olympic gold medal in boxing at the Paris Olympics later this year.

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