James Packer is set to tell all in a candid discussion on his mental health in an upcoming episode of 7NEWS Spotlight.
The billionaire is joined by good friend, English singer Robbie Williams, in the chat with journalist Liam Bartlett.
Packer confesses that ‘money is not a guarantee of happiness’ in a preview for the episode, which airs on Sunday.
‘I’m not here to play the victim … it’s a journey,’ Packer tells Bartlett in the video.
‘You’re not interviewing someone who’s saying to you, “I’ve got it worked out and I’ve got all the answers”‘ he continued.
‘I’m not that person. I’m here saying I’m doing my best.’
Williams will also open up on his own journey, and in the preview said he relates to Packer’s struggle.
‘[It’s] the same sort of illness that we share. It’s a disease of isolation’ Williams says.
James Packer is set to tell all in a candid discussion on his mental health in an upcoming episode of 7NEWS Spotlight (pictured)
In recent years, Packer has said he is now the ‘happiest’ he’s been, after shedding 25kg in 75 days and ditching the seven mood-altering drugs he was taking to help with his mental health.
‘I’m roughly 130kg now and want to be back to 100kg by the end of 2022. I want to swim with my kids at Bondi when we’re all in Sydney together next year and be 100kg,’ he told The Weekend Australian from his home in in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at the time.
The businessman said he quit the antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs he was prescribed in March, and is now looking to ‘rehabilitate’ his reputation in Australia.
In the biography, The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer, the casino mogul discussion his mental health struggles.
The billionaire is joined by good friend, English singer Robbie Williams, in the chat with journalist Liam Bartlett. All pictured
‘I was like Icarus. I flew too close to the sun’ the mogul tells biographer and journalist Damon Kitney in an edited extract published in The Australian.
The billionaire reveals his struggles with alcoholism after the collapse of his business empire and high-profile relationships.
The book outlines some of the darkest moments of his life and how he went from inheriting a fortune to battling anxiety and depression; three times, he has come back from nervous breakdowns.
There were multiple contributing factors that combined to his downward spiral.
Scandals marred his jet-set lifestyle, from a deal that saw him under scrutiny based on his political ties in Israel to a legal quagmire in China when officials from Crown Resorts, where he served as director, were detained in relation to illegal gambling charges.
Even his Tinseltown dreams were tainted – with the $100 million collapse of his production company RatPac with Hollywood producer Brett Ratner.
Packer confesses that ‘money is not a guarantee of happiness’ in a preview for the episode, which airs on Sunday
Williams will also open up on his own journey, and in the preview said he relates to Packer’s struggles
In the midst of his despair, Packer reveals he turned to old friend Warren Beatty, and spent years living in the Hollywood star’s guest house, eventually calling him ‘Dad’ – though he’s keen to point out that means no disrespect to his later father, Kerry, who engineered so much of the family’s runaway business success.
Packer counts numerous household names among his friends – from Robert de Niro to Leonardo DiCaprio – and since his youth was firmly entrenched in the celebrity set, even flirting with Scientology for a time before distancing himself from the church, in the vein of so many box-office actors and actresses.
The book describes Packer’s personal torment, drink and mental issues, which the billionaire describes as ‘very scary.’
He says he came to the realization his problems were only ‘getting worse’ – causing him to be ‘desperately worried,’ according to the extract in The Australian.
Beatty is notorious for avoiding media interviews but he chose to sit down and talk about Packer for the book, a sign of how much he values and cares for the man.
The actor would be the one who helped Packer finally seek help, referring him to a top psychiatrist who immediately asked him: ‘Are you trying to kill yourself?’
‘I don’t know if I started crying, but I thought to myself, “I don’t want to have $1.4 billion of debt any more. Why am I doing this?”‘ Packer said at the time.
The father-of-three said he is now excited to begin his ‘third act’ and plans to ease back into public life in Australia.
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