Maltese Mario Fenech Health, a prominent figure in Australian rugby league, gained widespread attention as his wife described his sad battle with dementia.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Mario Fenech, a former athlete, played a significant amount of time in the New South Wales/Australian Rugby League.
Mario, a great player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, captained the team from 1986 to 1990 and played as a forward for five seasons.
The rugby forward has worked in the entertainment business since he retired, and his book What’s Doing? was released in 2001.
In the earlier half of his career, Mario was known for having a short fuse on the field and was frequently sin-binned, sent off, or suspended for misconduct, aggressive behavior, or foul play.
Update on Mario Fenech’s health
Page Contents
Mario and Rebecca, his wife of 36 years, just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.
According to Dailymail, The South Sydney Rabbitohs icon was given an early-onset dementia diagnosis seven years ago and has memory loss and the mental capacity of an 80-year-old.
After being identified, Mario was found to have advanced chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease brought on by repeated head trauma and recurrent concussions.
The rugby player disclosed in 2016 that he has early onset dementia, which he attributes to years of brain trauma and injuries had during his playing days.
By 2022, according to sources, Mario had largely forgotten his playing career.
Before Fenech received his terrible diagnosis, the entire family underwent treatment, according to their son Joe.
Fenech can still remember being teased and branded a “wog” at school, which inspired him to excel at rugby league despite his failing memory.
Learn about the Family’s Reaction to Mario Fenech’s Illness.
Rebecca Fenech asks that everyone who worked with her husband on television in the past be aware of his struggle with dementia.
When Mario Fenech was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, his former television coworkers abandoned him, according to his wife, who is a former rugby league tough guy.
Only three former Footy Shows have maintained sporadic touch with him, according to his wife, who believes the show made fun of him despite being aware of his health situation.
The 53-year-old rugby champion spent his formative years in Sydney’s Botany neighborhood. Both he and his junior team, the Botany Rams, had immense potential in the eyes of his family.
Rebecca Fenech has spoken candidly about the emotional toll the show’s mockery and taunts took on her husband of 30 years.
Despite Mario displaying early symptoms of his disease while still on the show, Rebecca revealed that just three former Footy Show stars — Paul “Fatty Vautin,” Peter Sterling, and Steve “Blocker” Roach — still keep in touch with him.
John Fenech And although Jeff Fenech is Mario’s closest friend and longtime sparring partner, they are not biologically related.
Former professional boxer Jeff Fenech is a well-known Australian. He won world championships in four weight classes, including the IBF bantamweight, WBC super-bantamweight, WBC featherweight, and WBC super-featherweight belts.
In order to revive Mike Tyson’s career, Jeff was hired as Tyson’s trainer in March 2005.
Jeff, a former boxing champion, admitted that it has been “scary” to observe the long-term effects of concussions on his great-mate.