The highs and lows of Grant Hackett

From Olympic gold to trouble with the law.

Hackett first gained prominence at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships, where he recorded his only international victory over Ian Thorpe in 400m competition.

From 1997 to 2007 he was unbeaten in the 1500m, winning at every major world competition.

Hackett broke his first world record in 1999 when he eclipsed Giorgio Lamberti's 200m freestyle mark.

Hackett beat sentimental favourite Kieren Perkins in the Sydney 2000 1500m final to win his first Olympic gold medal.

Hackett picked up a silver and bronze at his last Olympics in 2008, finishing his career with three gold, three silver and a bronze in Olympic competition.

In 2010 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014.

Hackett's wife Candice Alley called police in 2011 after he reportedly went on a rampage through their apartment, smashing furniture and photo frames and upending a grand piano. Westpac dumped him as a brand ambassador after the incident, while a children's charity also cut ties.

Hackett was kicked out of the marital home in 2012 following a drunken night out after the Logies. His high-profile marriage to pop star Alley ended bitterly, with both sides battling over prenuptial agreements and custody of their twins, Charlize and Jagger.

He courted controversy in 2014 when he claimed he had lost his son at Melbourne's Crown Casino, photographed just with a singlet wrapped around his waste.

Hackett checked into rehab-for-the-stars facility, The Meadows in Arizona, for five weeks in 2014 to kick his addiction to the powerful Stilnox medication, a hangover from his competition days. Upon returning to Australia, he told media he's ready to get his life back on track.

After six years out of professional swimming, Hackett launched a comeback at the Australian Championships in an attempt to qualify for Rio 2016, but fell short.

Hackett ran into trouble on a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne in April 2016 where he was accused of groping and tweaking the nipple of another passenger and yelling abuse. Footage emerged of Hackett struggling to walk and having to be escorted off the flight by Collingwood CEO Gary Pert.

Hackett was arrested on February 15, 2017 following reports of a disturbance at a Gold Coast home. Witnesses claim he was "going off" and stabbing a chopping block. It's understood Hackett's father Nev called police to the address because his son was in an agitated state and apparently intoxicated.