Candice Warner talks about her ‘strong’ family, and her daughters’ social media

David and Candice Warner have copped more public criticism than most in the past, but the sports stars are happy to promote their three young daughters’ interest in social media. Read why.

It’s been a big couple of weeks for the Warner household, but once again the Maroubra family of five have shown nothing can break them.

“You know what, we’re really strong as a family,” Candice Warner told The Sunday Telegraph.

“Being together as a family is the most important thing for us, and at the moment we’re together as a family and that’s the main thing.

“It is (frustrating),” she said of the headlines made when former teammate Mitchell Johnson criticised her husband, veteran Australia cricket opener David.

“But David’s strong, I’m strong — nothing breaks us.”

The Warner sisters Indi (L to R), Isla and Ivy. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

It’s their little girls — Ivy, nine, Indi, seven, and Isla, four — that keep them going. too.

They’re already Quite like it, might have to following in their famous parents’ footsteps and into the spotlight, interviewing their dad’s teammates in front of hundreds of fans at Fox Sports and Kayo’s summer cricket launch in Parramatta Square.

David and Candice Warner and their brood, publicising The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

The girls have more than 162,000 followers on Instagram under the “Warner sisters”, where they post anything from fun dances to tennis lessons, hitting a ball like dad or doing something for charity.

“We think they’re pretty special, but obviously, being their parents, we’re biased,” Candice laughed.

“The amount of views they get on their reels and their comments is just more than we ever expected, but it’s been really nice because we’ve always shared our life and our kids on social media, so it’s not something new, putting our kids out there, but it’s something that we spoke about with them, and they were really keen to do it.

“And to be able to use social media in a positive way, I think is, is something refreshing because there’s so much negativity around social media, but it can also be used in a really good positive ways too.”

David Warner reacts after his dismissal for 164 runs on the first day of the first Test cricket match between Australia and Pakistan. Picture: AFP

While the content is created by the girls, mum and dad control the account so they’re in safe hands, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with no trolling, Candice says.

“You know, there is a lot of stuff on there that you don’t want your kids to see, and although we’re running the page, the kids are always with us,” she said.

“They say ‘Mum can we write this caption’ or ‘Can we write back to dad?’ or ‘Can we do this dance or that dance’ — you know, they are such active young girls and to be able to be a good influence, and just show how normal they are, and the benefits of getting active, the benefits of movement, the benefits of being out and about, whether it be doing charity work – I think it’s really nice for other kids to be able to see that.

“That’s when you can use it in a positive way and guide your kids and teach your kids how to use social media – and I think that’s a powerful thing.”

David and Candice Warner at the 2023 Australian Cricket Awards. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Like everyone at this time of year, the Warners are busy.

David has his cricket commitments and Candice has breakfast summer radio on Triple M, and the Ironman series is kicking off.

On top of that, the girls have cricket, tennis ball cricket, oz tag, soccer, gymnastics and netball.

Their social media presence has increased their confidence and given them invaluable real-world experience outside of the classroom.

“When the kids go to school, they’re often each term asked to do some public speaking or present at the school assembly or do a speech, so we are teaching the girls some lifelong skills when it comes to doing these little bits and pieces of work, whether it’s delivering something to camera, or getting out of their comfort zone and facing their fear of big crowds or speaking to people,” Candice said.

“So they’re learning lessons along the way, and they love it.

“They know who David and I are and what we’ve achieved, but I don’t think they quite understand the heights that their dad has reached — and I think at the same time it’s quite a nice thing because it definitely keeps David and myself grounded.

“They are very confident young girls and they’re involved in absolutely everything, so they know what they want to do and what they want to become — Indy wants to go grow up and play cricket and Ivy would love to be like Ash Barty and do a bit of cricket and a little bit of tennis.

“And Isla, well she’s the queen of the dress-ups — one day she wants to be a police officer, the next day she’s a fairy or mermaid, but if she had it her way, she’d be the next Wiggle.

“That’s what I love about the kids, they’ve got a fabulous imagination.

“No goal is too wild or too big for them, they believe that anything is possible.

“And they see through hard work through their mum and dad that you can have goals and you can have dreams, and if you work hard enough, they can become a reality.”

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