Ray Hadley has expressed his admiration for veteran NRL referee Gavin Badger who has revealed he’s a survivor of child sex abuse.

The referee has gone public about the sexual abuse he endured at just 11-years-old, at the hands of a family friend.

Ray Hadley says it takes a “brave” person to speak up.

“It’s people like you with a profile that come forward… that will help others, more than you will ever know,” Ray says.

Badger tells Ray that his whole life changed after what he went through. He admits he turned to drugs at the age of 12.

“I would have been better without the sexual abuse. Who knows what I could have done or what I could have achieved.

“It takes a long time to heal and a long time for people to be strong enough to come out.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

Badger has never revealed who his abuser was but tells Ray he will one day, when he’s ready.

Ray says, “that’s not the path everyone wishes to take and I utterly respect that. It’s a very individual decision.”

Image: Getty/Mark Kolbe