Jade Yarbrough breaks silence on THAT Noosa video

EXCLUSIVE: Eight months after a video of Jade Yarbrough and her then-partner Michael Clarke embroiled in a public spat in a Noosa park went viral, she is ready to talk, telling Stellar: “I felt heartbroken, and deeply embarrassed. I just wanted to hide forever.”

Jade Yarbrough is opening up about the Noosa viral video. Picture: Stellar/ Holly Ward

In January, Jade Yarbrough was enjoying a laidback summer holiday in Noosa with family, friends and her then-partner, former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke.

But overnight, she found herself in the middle of one of the biggest news stories of the year when a video of the couple embroiled in a heated spat in a public park went viral, sending her and everyone involved to ground.

For the first time, Yarbrough opens up about her deep embarrassment over the fracas, her heartbreak at the public and private fallout, and how she has since moved on by burying herself in her work.

Jade Yarbrough says she was “heartbroken” over the Noosa video. Picture: Stellar/ Holly Ward

You found yourself involved in one of the biggest news stories of the year back in January when a video of yourself involved in a spat with Michael Clarke, your partner at the time, in a park in Noosa went viral. Months later the interest hasn’t waned. Why do you think there has been so much curiosity about you and the incident?

I can’t speak for anyone else or know what people are thinking but I guess someone selling “that video” and then the constant commentary has created this sense of intimacy for people like they know me, and what happened – like they were there. This feeling like I’m being watched constantly has been intense and isolating, but then it was also really heartening to have so many people I don’t know come up in person or DM me to say, “I’ve been through that, I just didn’t have to go through it in public.” So in some ways, that helped.

It’s been a challenging year for Jade Yarbrough. Picture: Stellar/ Holly Ward

Dating a high-profile personality who is so well-known to the public will always draw interest and headlines, but this took things to another level. How do you cope with such a rabid and sustained amount of attention on you?

There’s no rule book for navigating constant headlines, public life and heartbreak. Relationships can be tough and complicated and most people don’t have theirs splashed on the front page of the paper or dissected on breakfast TV. I felt heartbroken, and deeply embarrassed. I just wanted to hide forever. Eventually I made my peace with it. I have to live my life and try to move on. I have a business to run, I don’t want to miss out on special moments with my friends and family because I’m hiding away. I had to find self-compassion and accept that I’m human, and I’m just doing my best. I can only stand up and own my share of responsibility for what I do and say. I can’t control what anyone else does or says.

What was the fallout, professionally and personally?

It was a lot to cope with at the time, but the reality is I had a business to run [Yarbrough co-founded interior design firm Merci Maison in 2020] even though I felt like I was broken. There were days I didn’t know how I would keep going but having the business kept me focused, kept me putting one foot in front of the other because I didn’t want to let anyone down.

Jade Yarbrough with Michael Clarke. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

There have been widespread rumours that you have reunited with Michael Clarke. Are you currently dating?

This year has been so challenging dealing with everything, working my way through it all, healing and finding my feet again. I’ve realised actually what’s best is to just be focused on myself and my business for now.

You and your sister Jasmine [who is married to Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic] share the unique experience of what it is like to have your relationships with high-profile men play out in the public eye. Can you tell us about your sisterly relationship?

Our relationship is unlike any other in my life. Sisters are that unique mix of friend and family. When you grow up together you go through literally everything together, good times and bad. Being eight years apart [Jasmine is 39, Jade is 31], Jasmine has always fiercely protected me as her little sister, and almost in a motherly sense. Mum jokes that Jas used to pretend to be my mum when I was little and take me under her wing, play dress-ups and change my nappy. We are both incredibly lucky that we come from a really loving, supportive family, who have instilled these family values in us that we’ll carry forever.

Family is everything for Jade Yarbrough. Picture: Stellar/ Holly Ward

You’re a very private person, yet you have a lot of famous friends. How do you manage to keep those relationships private while moving in those circles?

I have a close-knit group of friends, who are like extended family to me. It’s important to have people around you can trust. Keeping things private has become a lot harder this year – sometimes you think you’re alone and then all of a sudden you’ll see a photographer lens or see a flash and think, where did they come from? It can be scary and overwhelming and so strange. I never thought me in my activewear at the [work] warehouse would be so interesting. Navigating that when you’re a normal person trying to live your life can be tough.

Who are your mentors and the go-to people in your life who give you work and personal advice?

My family are my biggest support and my rock. My mum and dad are always there for me and I speak to them every day. They are my greatest source of strength. I have so much empathy for what my sister Jasmine and her husband Karl have been through over the years living in the public eye. I thought I understood and I definitely felt for them, but now... it’s different. You never really know what it’s like until you’re at the centre of it, and I respect the way that they’ve navigated things. The values my parents instilled in us – to love and protect each other – are always there and we will always be there for each other. That has never changed and never will. A lot of my friends own businesses and we are a huge support to each other, as well. It helps in navigating the challenges of being a business owner and, often, feeling alone you really rely on your network a lot.

You grew up in Brisbane and both you and your sister Jasmine [co-founder of footwear brand Mara & Mine] ended up in fashion and lifestyle businesses. What do you think influenced you both to follow creative paths?

Our mum and dad always encouraged us and told us we could do whatever we wanted from a young age. Having that freedom and support to pursue any career that we wanted, I think, allowed all three of us (me, Jasmine and our brother Josh) to end up in creative industries. Josh lives in Los Angeles and is a creative director. They always say that I was creative from a young age. I would sit in my room for hours and tinker, paint, make art and create objects. When Mum re-did our house I helped her design it; I would have been 10 or so. I helped her with everything, from choosing all the curtains [and] fittings and we would even go antique shopping together to source baths, bits of furniture and art. Dad has always had his own business importing industrial packaging materials and been very successful in that realm, so a lot of that I learnt from him, too.

Where did your love for interior design come from?

After school I started studying architecture and then moved into a business degree. I had spent some time styling and developing creative concepts for big events like fashion week in Australia, then over time I was given the opportunity to work in LA and on fit-outs for major events like the Coachella music festival and Art Basel [art fair] and then moved into more creative direction and development on behalf of brands. From there it really clicked that this was something I wanted to do for myself. I’ve always seen my dad run his own successful business and thought it was time to step out on my own. From there, I began to develop an interior design practice working with residential and commercial clients around the world including private residential, retail and multi-residential projects in Dubai, New York, LA, Sydney and Indonesia. I was sourcing vintage and one-off pieces from Paris and around Europe but also working with artisans and makers around the world to make custom pieces for these projects. People would often ask me where they could get them or that they wanted to buy my custom pieces, too, so it made sense to make my designs available to everyone through starting my business, Merci Maison.

Where do you see yourself in the future – both personally and professionally?

I’m excited to be taking Merci Maison back to its roots as an interior design practice, as well as offering our custom and antique pieces to a wider audience, including the US market. Later this year I’ll also open the first Merci Maison pop-up showroom to the public in Sydney and I plan to take this to the international market in future. Family will always be important to me, so in the future I could see myself sitting with my sister, watching our family around us, reflecting on what has been a wonderful and crazy life. I love my niece Harper, I love being an auntie – it’s really special to me, but also coming from a bigger family with three of us kids, I would love that for myself one day. I can’t wait to be a mum when the time is right – but my focus right now is myself and my career.

Originally published as Jade Yarbrough breaks silence on THAT Noosa video