‘It’s about me’: Candice Warner makes call on Cricket Australia security offer

Candice Warner has a message for Cricket Australia after her shocking story of abuse while supporting her husband David in Adelaide.

Candice Warner has revealed she has rejected Cricket Australia’s offer of security at the Brisbane Test after opening up on “vile abuse” she copped from some men at the Adelaide Test match.

Warner revealed a group of young men hurled abuse at her while walking with two of her daughters to visit her husband David.

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It was a shocking story, resulting in Candice saying she was “starting to feel like (the cricket) is an unsafe place for me and my kids to be at”.

But after it was revealed Candice had been offered security by Cricket Australia for the next Test match against South Africa, the former ironwoman revealed the offer was “unnecessary”.

“I got the call (from Cricket Australia) saying, ‘Look, we don’t want you or your family feeling unsafe at the cricket. We know how much your support means to David and the team and this is what we would like to offer,’” Warner revealed on Triple M’s Summer Breakfast, which she hosts alongside Tom Tilley and Harley Breen.

“I just said it was unnecessary. I don’t need an escort, I’m very independent and I can stick up for myself.

“It’s more about the safety of all the players and their partners and families, and just everyone in general.

“I want everyone to go to the cricket and feel safe because it’s such a great day out, and feel they can be there without being attacked.”

The Warner clan. Picture: Ian Bird/CNSW.

Although David, who sat a year out of the game due to his involvement in the 2018 ball tampering scandal, appears to be a lightning rod for criticism, Candice revealed the heckling was as a result of her past.

“It’s got nothing to do with Dave, it’s got to do with my past and it’s about me,” she said.

“So anyone out there that wants to heckle me on social media, it’s not about David. This was a personal attack on me.

“But going forward with Cricket Australia, as a mum of three daughters, their safety is paramount. That’s what they’ve offered, it’s not going to be me walking around with an escort, that’s not the case at all.”

Candice said if she is beginning to feel unsafe, there's a number she can call.

She added it wasn’t just for her, but for all wives and partners.

Candice said the heckling after the ball tampering scandal exploded in South Africa was “the worst I've encountered” but said it will likely be less severe this time around due to the fact it’ll be played in Australia.

Candice and David married in 2015. Picture: Richard Dobson

Breen added: “I’ll say for those heading to the cricket on the weekend, remember it’s sport. watch the sport, enjoy the sport, put your manners in and if you can’t think of something nice to say, like my mum used to say ‘shut your mouth and go to bed’.”

Although she didn’t go into details about the situation Warner is referring to from her past, she did open up about the infamous incident in 2007 when she was photographed by a member of the public in a bathroom at Clovelly Hotel with Sonny Bill Williams in 2020 on SAS Australia.

At the time she said she regretted the situation and that it had “a huge impact on my family”.

it was just a personal situation. Too many drinks,” she said.

“Living with that and having to explain to my kids in the future is going to be very difficult. Especially when you’ve got three girls.

“I remember sitting on the side of the street and not being able to take it anymore. And just thinking, ‘If this is what life’s about then I can’t take it anymore’.”

Speaking to camera, Warner added: “Yes, I’d made a mistake. But is that really worth, every single day, the media trying to drag me down? I don’t think so.”

Candice Warner on SAS Australia, 2020. Picture: Nigel Wright

On Monday, Warner blasted the “weak” and “gutless” punters at Adelaide Oval who took aim at her.

“I decided to confront them. I didn’t have to, but with my girls in my hands, I thought it was really important to confront them because for us, my actions need to mirror the messages I give to my kids,” she said.

“So I confronted them and like any group of men who have been drinking, they were weak, they were gutless, they didn’t own up to what they did and the man who was actual yelling this abuse was hiding behind his friend.

“I said ‘Do you feel good about yourself, trying to intimidate me, to belittle me, embarrass me in front of my kids? You clearly don’t have kids yourself, it’s not okay. It’s not okay to bully someone, it’s not okay to make fun of other people.’

“The thing that disappointed me was, one, the fact they thought it was funny, two, that they couldn’t own up to their mistake, but the fact that in a packed stadium, when they could see a mother with two kids clearly in distress, my girls were upset, not one single person came to my assistance. Not one.”

Candice said due to David’s international schedule, she is “the mother and the father” for her girls and “won’t allow my girls to see their mum be bullied, intimidated. It’s not what I stand for.”

Warner said her eldest daughter Ivy asked why she confronted the men.

Candice replied: “Darling, you’ve got to understand, this is not okay. We won’t tolerate this, this is unacceptable no matter male, female, how big, you need to learn to stand up for yourself and this is why.”