‘I hated myself’: Agony behind Bronco’s darkest day, and the rival who saved her life

This was the day Gayle Broughton was never meant to survive – if not for the fateful intervention of a friend who she will soon call her rival.

On the surface, she had it made – travelling the world with the New Zealand rugby sevens side and “making bank” with a silver medal from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Yet, Broughton hid an internal struggle.

Angst, dark days and insecurities had mounted to the point where she tried to take her own life.

But the now Brisbane Broncos NRLW five-eighth has revealed if not for a close mate – Newcastle centre Tenika Willison – she would not be alive to tell this tale.

“I had sent her a message just to be like ‘I love you’ – that’s all the message said, and it got left there. She tried to ring me, I didn’t pick up, and she wasn’t in the town where I was,” Broughton says.

“She ended up getting hold of three other people to go and check up on me that day, and thankfully, those people came and essentially ended up breaking into my house because everything was locked up.

“I was there in the garage, and thankfully, they got there in time.

“I think of that moment all the time. Me and Meeks actually talk about it quite a lot, and how that situation could have played out.

“She knew; she had a feeling that something was up.”

The boiling point

Before she became a gold-medal-winning Olympian at the Tokyo Games and made the jump to rugby league, Broughton was fighting demons.

Having “lost a lot of people to suicide”, her successes on the field did little to quash her own turmoil.

The escalation of detrimental thoughts proved overwhelming – self-harm messages like “no one loves me” and “I don’t deserve to be here” culminating in her 2019 suicide attempt.

“It was around my identity as a person. I didn’t really like who I was, I was going through alcohol and drug abuse,” Broughton says.

“The craziest part about all of it is, a lot of people would have looked from the outside in and seen such a successful sevens player – I was living the dream.

“But deep down inside myself, I hated it – I hated myself. I truly did not like the person I was looking at in the mirror.”

Since Willison came to her aid that day, Broughton has embraced life with a whole new perspective. She’s now a mother and working with the Mental Awareness Foundation.

She regularly talks to kids about the need to prioritise their psychological wellbeing – discussions that were not something she had, even when a “very, very close friend of mine” succumbed to his psychological plight.

“The effect it took, not only on me, but to watch my brother have to watch his best friend get buried, that was my first real interaction with mental health and suicide, and the conversations around it,” Broughton says.

Loading

“Even in that situation, it was the same thing – everyone knew what had happened, but they didn’t really want to speak about it.

“If I can speak openly about my struggles and trials and tribulations through mental health, then I’m sure someone out there might just change their mind about doing the same thing.”

Preparing the future

Broughton regularly uses her work to ensure her Brisbane teammates are equipped to deal with the distress that can come from being in the spotlight, particularly as a new generation of talent makes its mark.

Messages from aggrieved punters have reached the playing group throughout the years – most prominently body-shaming insults to strike-weapon Julia Robinson and threats to State of Origin hero Ali Brigginshaw.

“As athletes, we do get the end of the stick where it’s ‘you killed my multi’ or ‘you ruined this’, and the expectations people have on us,” Broughton says.

“It’s an ugly side to the sport.”

While Broughton has an undying appreciation for the majority of fans, she hopes the NRL and more clubs partake in mental health awareness initiatives.

The Broncos captured headlines and drew widespread praise when they unveiled their all-black kit to raise money for the Black Dog Institute, but Broughton felt it could be taken further.

“There was one guy I was talking to, his old man took his life in 2020, and he said that jersey was everything because he’s loved the Broncos since day dot,” Broughton says.

“It made a statement. I hope a lot more clubs make the same statement.”

The push for glory

Broughton and Willison’s palpable bond was put to the side for 70-minutes on Sunday, when the former inspired Brisbane to a 30-6 triumph of Willison’s Knights at Suncorp Stadium.

The 29-year-old pulled the strings with two try assists and a linebreak, including her scything run to unleash Tamika Upton for her 19th try of the season.

Broughton will now be tasked with igniting an attack that has become the competition’s most lethal – averaging 36.17 points a game in 2025 – when they face the Sydney Roosters in Sunday’s grand final.

It looms as her final game as a Bronco, ahead of an anticipated move to the New Zealand Warriors.

Upton will be key to their hopes of claiming their first premiership since 2020, with the fullback on the cusp of clinching a second Dally M Medal after adding 19 linebreaks and 14 try assists to her resume.

“Have you ever played a game and you get the cheats codes? You know – up, triangle, square, circle, x? That’s how it feels having her at the back,” Broughton laughs.

“She’s actually such a competitor, we played Newcastle down in Newcastle and there was a lot of swearing and calls of ‘traitor’, and not kind remarks given to her.

“But she just takes that stuff on the chin and adds it to her field. It would just be the cherry on top to be able to get a ring with this group, and bring a title back to Brisbane.”

If you, or someone you know, needs support you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.