Ball-tampering shock: Candice Warner blames herself over husband David’s part in scandal
IN A frank and tearful interview, Candice Warner says she blames herself for her husband’s role in the cricket cheating scandal because of a stupid mistake she made in her youth. LISTEN HERE
Confidential
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THE wife of shamed cricketer David Warner has told how the ball-tampering scandal left her husband “an emotional wreck” and that seeing him in pain is “absolutely killing me”.
In a frank and tearful interview, Candice Warner says she blames herself for Warner’s role in the affair because of an incident in her youth.
The Warners were devastated after opposition fans wore Sonny Bill Williams masks during the second Test in South Africa, a nasty reference to Candice’s infamous sexual encounter with the rugby star at the Clovelly Hotel back in 2007.
“I feel like it’s all my fault and it’s killing me — it’s absolutely killing me,” Candice said yesterday as she broke down sobbing over the scandal that has torn Australian cricket apart and shattered her husband’s career.
Asked if the episode affected Warner, Candice said: “Without a doubt and that’s the hardest thing to deal with because I feel like it’s all my fault.”
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Trying to explain why Warner had not answered questions in detail when he finally fronted the press yesterday, she said: “He’s just such an emotional wreck and I think he was sitting there hearing words but not really being able to process.”
With fans immediately taking to social media to slam the Australian vice-captain and opening batsman, she added: “If people could understand — which they probably won’t because there’s so many people out there that want answers — but if they could just sympathise just slightly with the month that he’s had.
“I’m sure there were things he wanted to say but he just couldn’t get it out. He is hurting. He is seriously, seriously struggling and he’s not in a great headspace.”
The now exiled Test star is taking responsibility for his actions. During the press conference he said: “In the coming weeks and months I’m going to look at how this has happened and who I am as a man.
“To be honest I’m not sure right now how I will do this.’’
Speaking afterwards, Candice said: “I haven’t been much of a support because I’ve been a wreck. But we love each other dearly and, yeah, we’ll get through it. We have to for our little girls.”
Stressing that she was not trying to make excuses for the ball-tampering scandal, she said: “I never want to do a ‘poor me’ story or anything like that whatsoever.
“But Dave would come home from the game and see me in tears in the bedroom, and the girls just looking at their mum, it’s been heartbreaking.
“When we were in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, Dave would come home and, yes, I always put on a strong front and I turn out to the games.
“But seeing them wearing the masks, to have people staring and pointing and laughing at me, to have the signs, to have, you know, the songs made up about me, I would have to sit there and cop that.
“And he had to just cope with it, he was protecting me as much as he could and protecting the girls.”
One of the most distressing consequences to emerge from the scandal is the suggestion that Warner’s teammates have abandoned the couple.
She said: “I think that’s what’s been really hurtful. There’s been all these reports that we’re such a divisive couple, that we divide the team and things like that. But we’ve hosted numerous barbecues at our home, not just for the players but their partners, support staff, and we did that a couple of times.
“He’s always going to dinner with the boys when his family’s not around.
“All these reports, why I was the only one left in South Africa and all that is total rubbish because there’s a handful of girls — Tim Paine’s wife, Pat Cummins’ partner — there’s a heap of them still there.
“There’s been so much fabrication on this and it’s just, I personally have had enough.”
Candice has never been able to escape from the Sonny Bill tryst. Quinton de Kock reportedly raised the incident during the first Test, leading to Warner’s infamous stairwell stoush with the South African Test star.
“Things that have happened in the past, I deserved that,” Candice said. “I brought that upon myself. But what happened in South Africa was on a complete other level.
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“And again, it’s not an excuse.”
Candice described yesterday’s press conference as one of their toughest days as she sat sobbing at back of the room.
“I’m really not well, without going into details. It was important that I went to support my husband as I always do, but I’m in no way ... I couldn’t have sat there on my own.
“Coming home today I walked into the room and I was in tears and our daughters were so upset. They were like ‘why you crying, Mummy?’
“I had to make an excuse and I was like, because you know I spoke to the Easter bunny and he’s not coming. It’s really hard to explain to kids and they don’t understand and they still see it as Mummy and Daddy but it’s hard, it’s really hard.”