Swimming star Tracey Wickham on verge of homelessness

Tracey Wickham recieves her gold medal from the Queen during the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Photo / Getty Images

Australian swimming great Tracey Wickham says she's on the verge of being homeless.

The four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist says she's broke, struggling to walk after a fall and a month away from being kicked out of her home on the Gold Coast.

Wickham, who retired from swimming at just 19 after being the sport's darling in the late 1970s and 80s, says she is "hanging on by a thread".

"At the moment, I'll either end up in my car or a caravan," Ms Wickham told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

"I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I can't afford anything."

A former world record holder in the 400m and 800m freestyle, Ms Wickham, 52, has had a troubled life outside the pool.

She has battled depression, a marriage breakdown and the death of her 19-year-old daughter Hannah from cancer in 2007.

She is currently suing the Regatta Hotel in Brisbane after injuring her back after allegedly slipping on tiles at the venue.

"I'm hanging on by a thread, it's not even dental floss thread, it's thinner," she said.

- AAP