Garry Lyon has revealed he sent Billy Brownless an apology text message but never received a response from the former Geelong star.

Lyon opened up to Mike Sheahan in an in-depth interview this morning, explaining he hopes he can repair his friendship with Brownless.

"It was a text, yeah," Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

โ€œI spoke to Bill before this became public a year or so ago.

โ€œBeyond that, itโ€™s something for he and I to work through. We will do it. If he wants to talk about it publicly, then thatโ€™s his right. But I wonโ€™t be.โ€

Lyon said that he wasn't โ€œjumping out of his skin" to talk to Billy about his relationship with Nicky (Brownless' ex-wife), which is still ongoing.

โ€œNicky and I are together and I am eternally grateful that sheโ€™s been able to support me through it,โ€ he said.

โ€œI was separated back in 2014, itโ€™s hard enough to deal with separation, hard enough to deal with privately let alone publicly when you throw in a new relationship that lots of people frown upon, a person who was once married to a friend.โ€

Lyon also opened up about his battle with mental health issues, revealing he has been dealing with the illness since 2009.

โ€œI sought professional help eight years ago and went through that process for about two weeks,โ€ he said.

โ€œI just wasnโ€™t ready โ€ฆ I didnโ€™t pursue it, to my detriment I have no doubt.โ€

Lyon will appear on SEN Radio's revamped breakfast program in 2017, alongside Hamish McLachlan and Tim Watson.