This was published 4 years ago

'I don't have to hide anymore': AFL legend Danielle Laidley breaks her silence

August 25, 2022 - 3.42am

To her friends, family and fans, she was known as Dean – a legendary AFL premiership player and coach – but off the field, she felt like someone else entirely.

"There used to be a skinny kid, bloke running around a footy field like a maniac," she tells 60 Minutes.

For the past five decades, Danielle Laidley has secretly battled unimaginable turmoil. 60 Minutes

"But that was a part of the mask, to cover up."

Danielle was desperately struggling with gender dysphoria, a secret she kept from those closest to her, including her AFL colleagues.

"I wouldn't let people get close to me," she recalls.

"I thought I was coping really well, but obviously that wasn't the case."

Danielle Laidley with 60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo. — The very personal decision to come out was despicably taken out of her hands. 60 Minutes

The battle took a vicious toll, leading to dangerous addictions and mental health emergencies, before it was eventually dragged into the spotlight against her will.

After being arrested in 2020, cruel police officers recognised the AFL legend wearing a wig, dress and makeup, and took photos, sharing them on social media.

'I wouldn't let people get close to me ... I thought I was coping really well, but obviously that wasn't the case'

"The photos were an invasion of privacy," she says.

The very personal decision to come out was despicably taken out of her hands, but it didn't stop Danielle's journey of learning to accept and ultimately love herself.