Son of Australian cricket legend lifts the lid on his crippling gambling addiction that saw him build up debts of $180,000
Henry Brayshaw, the son of Channel 7 cricket broadcaster James Brayshaw, has lifted the lid on how he once found himself owing around $180,000 in gambling debts, due to a crippling addiction.
Brayshaw, who is also engaged to adult content creator Annie Knight, revealed that his addiction got so bad that he had once spent a $10,000 loan from his fiancée in the space of an hour, betting on horses.
During a confronting interview with the Soberly Speaking Podcast, the 28-year-old, who is one of four brothers, revealed that betting on horses was his ‘poison’ before opening up on how his gambling addiction began.
‘So, it started off as a boys’ culture at, you know, at our beach houses as kids going to the pub and putting on $5 quaddies just to win beer money,’ he explained to the podcast’s host, Julia Rangiheuea.
‘For a lot of people, it remained that way. But for me, I started, you hear the term chasing. I’d get into a bit of debt and then I’d chase.
‘So, I’d double down and put the last $500 on a horse paying $25. And if it won, you’d get a couple hundred or, you know, $20,000 or $15,000 or whatever. Sometimes you’d hit and you’d be like: “I’m so close to being out. One more!”
Henry Brayshaw, the son of Channel 7 cricket broadcaster James Brayshaw, has lifted the lid on how he once found himself owing around $180,000 in gambling debts, due to a crippling addiction
‘And then you’d put it all on a sure thing that would come dead last and suddenly you’re $30,000 in the hole. And so I was always chasing to get out.’
He added that he was ‘fortunate’ to have a group around him who helped him get out of that hole.
‘It’s crazy how addiction works and how it can be so specific,’ the 28-year-old said.
‘Mine used to be going on Sportsbet, TAB, Ladbrokes, which I’m now banned.’
Henry added that as his gambling addiction began to spiral, he began to use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism.
‘Suddenly you hadn’t paid rent, and suddenly you hadn’t paid off all the people you said you would that week. And that’s when I’d use drugs and that’s when I’d use alcohol. And I’d use the cash I had on hand to go have fun that weekend. Just to escape that headspace.
‘And that was literally my life from 18 to 26, and I’m 28. Nonstop.’
His friends would see him as the larrikin of the group who would always go harder than everyone else.
Henry recounted the moment he told his dad James (right) and his mum about his gambling issue during the podcast
But then came what he calls his ‘icebreaking moment’.
Henry asked his fiancée, Annie, for a lump sum to get a bank loan to pay off some of his debts.
After Annie gave him the money, Brayshaw revealed that he spent it all in the space of an hour.
‘I could have lodged it with the bank. I could have got the money and I was scot-free, out of trouble.
‘I ended up saying to um my partner, this just happened. And I’d never lied to her for so many years as a best friend first and foremost. And I was like, ready for her to cut ties and be like: “You’re done. We’re done. Get a lawyer involved. Get my money back”.’
‘The polar opposite happened. It’s like she knew the whole time that there was something. But she was and she’s such a smart woman, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it because I’d hidden it so well.’
Knight has previously been candid about her earnings, revealing to News.com.au last year that she had been bringing in around $300,000 per month, which equated to $3.5million per year.
Henry explained that it had gotten ‘really dark for him in the build-up to that time’.
He also revealed that he had asked his fiancée, Annie, to lend him $10,000. He planned on using the money to secure a loan with the bank but instead spent it within one hour, betting on horses
At one point, when he was 26 years old, he revealed that he owed around $180,000 to multiple people, including banks and loan sharks.
‘I owed one particular person $60,000. It was crazy.’
He added: ‘I would be this guy on the weekends, this happy-go-lucky Henry that would put on a show… the week that I’d spend in bed in a dark room, not talking to anyone was probably a bit of a telltale that I wasn’t right.’
Henry’s friends, fiancée and family ‘wrapped their arms around him’ and helped him get out of that difficult situation.
‘Fortunately, I had this group of three or four people that just doubled down and dug their heels in and supported me, which not a lot of people have that luxury.
‘That’s not lost on me because that’s when it can get really bad. And it got really dark for me in the build-up to that time. But they wrapped their arms around me. They helped me.
‘My family was a difficult one. It was hard for them.’
Henry paid tribute to Annie for helping him navigate that difficult period, adding that he was ‘grateful for all of the support’ from his friends and family
Henry admitted that Annie had convinced him to get his dad, James, and mum, Sarah, in the same room together and tell them about his problem. It came after the couple divorced back in 2014.
‘That was terrifying because I hadn’t seen them in the same room in a long time. I just went to water. Mum cried, dad cried, they hugged, they were like: “Mate, you know, thanks for telling us,” was the first thing that they said.’
He thought his parents were going to kick him out of the house, but they helped him figure out a way to address his debts, with Henry forming a debt plan, before going off to work on FIFO. He added that it was the fastest way for him to make money to pay off his debts.
Annie and Henry revealed that they were engaged in March 2025, with Henry revealing that she was the first person that he had told about his issue.
‘Annie and I have had so many beautiful conversations about this. We’re learning every day. God bless her, she’s put so much time and effort into understanding this life.
‘I don’t have any access to that sort of money. Annie is the brains and the brawn in that space. We’ve tried the allowance thing, which sounds emasculating, right? I can’t do anything more than that, I don’t want any more of that. We tried a substantial amount in the past two years and I spent it.
‘It’s a bit of a head f*** at times, but I can’t have it any other way at the moment and I’m grateful for the support.’
Henry encouraged others struggling with gambling issues to try self-exclusion. The free program allows individuals to ban themselves from gambling venues or online websites.
‘You put all your details in and it will never ever allow you to make an account,’ Henry said.
‘So like done, banned and you can never go back. And that saved me. [It is] a huge thing that people should do. It’s a really positive step.’
