In a tear-filled interview on 60 Minutes, Hackett said he accepted responsibility for his actions, blaming a tense domestic situation for his violent outburst.

Alluding to a troubled marriage, Hackett told 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown: "It gets to a point where it's like a Coke bottle, it just keeps getting shaken and shaken and shaken and shaken and if you don't release it, it explodes."

Photographs of the significant damage Hackett wreaked in his luxury inner-city Melbourne apartment following Derby Day in November made headlines around the country last month.

The former 1500m champion said he had been drinking on the night, but he does not blame the booze for the incident.

"I was drunk - I will admit I was drunk. I think the alcohol exaggerated and exacerbated the emotions of that night and made it worse,” he said. “But I don't blame that, I blame myself."

He used the interview to deny allegations he had been violent towards his wife.

"Candice was totally unharmed," he said. "I didn't threaten her in any way.

"There's one thing I remember and that's certainly the interaction between Candice and I and there was no physical interaction.

"I was sobbing and then a policeman knocked on the door. I took him through the place. It was just a night I hoped to forget. I exploded that night and clearly you can see the ramifications of that wasn't pretty."

Your say: Do you believe Grant Hackett is genuinely remorseful – and does he deserve our sympathy?