North Melbourne small forward Paul Curtis has made a sensational claim about his sources of hydration, declaring that he does not actually drink water.

The bizarre admission was made during a segment on Footy on Nine’s Players program, with host Felix Von Hofe welcoming AFL players Nick Larkey, Rhylee West, and Tristan Xerri for a light-hearted chat.

Kangaroos captain Nick Larkey was selected to FaceTime a teammate on a segment labelled “Phone Roulette”, reaching Curtis who was out to dinner with other players and coaches.

After dishing some dirt on Xerri, his team’s ruckman, the 23-year-old then made the startling hydration claim after it was raised both at his dinner table moments earlier, and on the show.

“I don’t drink water, yeah,” Curtis confirmed.

Asked what he replaces the hydration staple with, the quirky forward claimed he drinks “Coke Zero”.

Curtis only needs to look to his club’s vice-captain in Harry Sheezel for nutritional advice, with the 21-year-old midfielder outspoken about his meticulous game day preparation and daily nutrition.

However, the revelation is exactly on brand for the emerging talent, with fans coming to expect the unexpected from Curtis.

In early March 2025, Curtis publicly admitted that he had hidden the fact he was a father from teammates until his son, Elijah, was six-months-old.

And when he did, not many believed him.

“Telling people was the hardest thing for me. Once I told everyone, it was a weight off my shoulders,” Curtis explained to afl.com.au at the time.

‘Clarko’ (coach Alastair Clarkson) actually guessed it to be fair. I pulled him aside for a chat and I was like, ‘Oh Clarko, I’ve got something to tell ya, it’s pretty exciting for me’ and he’s like, ‘You’ve got a baby!’ And I said ‘Yeah!’”.”

The powerful small forward also boasts a rare strength benchmark both at his club and across the AFL, with rumours claiming he can bench press between 140-160kg. He is believed to weigh roughly 75kg.

In yet another eyebrow-raising tale that emerged this year, it was revealed Curtis was rushed home from a UK holiday in December after falling seriously ill.

He told Channel 7’s Ryan Daniels he was prescribed strong antibiotics and discharged from a London hospital after a short consultation, before boarding a flight onward to Bali.

However, the forward suffered an allergic reaction on the flight, and was hospitalised in Bali where he was diagnosed with empyema.

“I just swelled up; like, my face just puffed up. I had a rash all over my body, my feet swelled up, so I couldn’t walk,” Curtis said.

With treatment unsuccessful, he was urgently flown to Perth for emergency surgery where almost a litre of pus required removal from his lung.

He remained hospitalised in WA for eight days.

“It’s given me a good perspective on life, I guess, and how quickly things can change, and some things just aren’t in your control,” Curtis said.