Ben Cousins has been rebuilding his life following a very public fall from grace in the late 2000s, but his patience was recently tested.

The former AFL Brownlow Medallist, 45, appeared to be in an argument with a taxi driver from 13Cabs on Wednesday.

He was dropped off at Sydney Airport by the company ahead of his Dancing With The Stars Australia debut when the cabbie chased him down in the terminal. 

The pair were seen having an animated discussion over an apparent issue with payment.

Thankfully, it all ended well as they seemed to part ways amicably, giving one another a thumbs up. 

After the interaction, Ben appeared eager, if a little nervous, as he prepared to jet off to Melbourne to film Dancing With The Stars. 

The footy legend kept things casual with a long black T-shirt and cargo pants, practicing some very stylish colour blocking with a set of all-black sneakers. 

After checking in his suitcase, the athlete carted a huge black carry on in one hand while carrying a red garment bag in the other.

The sighting comes as Ben continues to rebuild his life after a fall from grace in 2007, revealing part of his redemption arc will include reality TV. 

The footballer previously said he was approached multiple times by Channel Seven's SAS Australia, which is known for signing up controversial public figures. 

Ben has so far refused, however, he has agreed to do Dancing With The Stars this year, explaining that focusing on a new challenge will aid him in rebuilding his life. 

The athlete recently told the Herald Sun he actually agreed to do the dance competition back in 2008 before changing his mind.

'I'm just in a pretty good space at the moment and am in a position to take on some new challenges and this has come along and probably for the first time in quite a while I am in a position to give it a go,' he said. 

'This worked for where I was at mentally and wanting to throw myself into something.'

When it comes to rebuilding his life, Ben said there is 'no quick fix' and he is willing to pay his dues. 

'It is certainly not lost on me, or forgotten, the hard work and commitment that it has taken to get back to where I am,' he explained. 

'It is the long game... You don't just do something and then all of a sudden it changes overnight.' 

Ben won the Brownlow Medal in 2005 and captained the West Coast Eagles from 2001 to 2005, securing the club's best and fairest awards four out of those season. 

He played 238 games and booted 205 goals for the West Coast Eagles, where he won a premiership with the club in 2006. 

His dramatic fall from grace was well documented from 2007 as he publicly battled a drug addiction and coped with his failed relationship with Maylea Tinecheff.

He was later sacked and copped a one year ban from the AFL for repeated infringements.

In 2021, Susan Backshell, who has acted as a mentor for Ben since his last stint on jail, told Daily Mail Australia that he remains solely focused on his kids.

Sitting in a cold, cramped jail cell for the sixth time in 13 years, Ben decided enough was enough after seven months behind bars in 2020.

He told her he wanted to make amends and clean up his life and Susan gave him an ultimatum: 'Give it his all, or forget it entirely.'

Since Ben was released from custody back in December 2020, Susan said she's never once questioned his commitment to sobriety and bettering his community.

Last year, Ben announced he would partake in several speaking engagements on his Such Is Life Tour, which kicked off in July.

Promising to tell untold tales from his football career, the tour marked a kind of catharsis for the controversial Brownlow Medallist.