'Deal or No Deal' Host Arrested

Former Channel 7 presenter Andrew O'Keefe was denied bail following his arrest for breaching the conditions of an AVO.

By Allison Schonter

Embattled television personality Andrew O'Keefe was arrested over the weekend. O'Keefe, the former host of Australia's Deal or No Deal and numerous other Seven network shows, was taken into police custody for allegedly breaching the conditions of an apprehended violence order (AVO), a New South Wales Police spokesman confirmed in a statement to news.com.au.

The arrest occurred at around 11:45 p.m. local time Saturday at a unit on Longworth Ave in Point Piper, in Sydney's eastern suburbs. During a hearing at the Parramatta Local Court Sunday afternoon, per the Daily Mail, it was revealed that O'Keefe had allegedly been invited by the woman to visit, as they wanted to "resume... their relationship." However, despite the invitation, O'Keefe was in breach of the AVO conditions, something Magistrate Robert Walker said the former presenter must have been aware of. O'Keefe's solicitor Sharon Ramsden said, "the ultimate breach is he was there for 10 to 15 minutes at the property."

O'Keefe was ultimately arrested and taken to Waverley police station. He was charged with one count of contravening a restriction or prohibition of an apprehended violence order. O'Keefe spent the night behind bars before facing Parramatta Local Court on Sunday when he was refused bail. Prosecutor Peter Archibald, who opposed bail, said police had concerns O'Keefe would endanger the safety of victims and interfere with witnesses f he was released again. According to the Daily Mail, O'Keefe will remain behind bars on remand until his next appearance in Downing Centre Local Court on Aug. 30.

The Saturday incident marks just the latest run-in with the law for O'Keefe, who has been in and out of court on drug and assault charges. The 51-year-old previously spent four months behind bars on remand after he was charged with a choking assault on another woman in his Sydney CBD apartment on Kent Street in January 2022. Six charges relating to the alleged incident were withdrawn in February after the prosecution's sole witness and alleged victim left the country, according to ABC News. O'Keefe has also faced charges of common assault, contravening an AVO, resisting a police officer, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Prior to his legal troubles, O'Keefe was once one of Australia's most popular TV presenters, having been the face of numerous Channel 7 programs, including Deal or No Deal, Weekend Sunrise, and The Chase, for 17 years. In 2021, the Seven Network cut ties with him following a domestic violence incident with a former partner.

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