Shane Warne: Details emerge about cricket legend’s history with diets

Shock news of cricket legend Shane Warne’s death has prompted discussion about his ‘all or nothing’ approach to diets amid news he was on an extreme health kick before he died.

The 52-year-old’s died from a suspected heart attack while on holiday to Thailand late last Friday.

Shane Warne, who was on a 14-day liquid diet before his shock death at the weekend, used traditional Chinese medicine in 2019 to shed 14 kilos.

The 52-year-old’s sudden death from a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Thailand late on Friday prompted speculation about his radical dieting habits, including a post on his Instagram about a week ago which declared “operation shred has started”.

Warne told Eddie McGuire on a Triple M breakfast show in 2019 that he had lost 14kg with traditional Chinese medicine.

“I‘ve been doing traditional Chinese medicine, I’ve been doing training and things like that. I’ve dropped 14kg, I’m trying to lose another three or four more to get down to 80kg but I haven’t had any work done to my head,” Warne, then 49, said.

“I feel great, I’m 50 this year so and the Ashes is just coming up so I thought now it’s time. By the end of the summer, England‘s summer, I’ll probably be a fat bastard again from drinking pints.”

Warne’s manager, James Erskine, said over the weekend that Warne had just finished an extreme diet “where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days”, and on Monday told Sunrise Warne had previously been on liquid diets to manage his weight.

“On four or five occasions he was on this liquid diet. I didn’t even know he was on it, I found out afterwards,” Mr Erskine said.

“Is it good for you? I have no idea. I have had lots of people now email and text me all these things about how bad it is but I don’t know.

“He certainly wanted to look after his weight. When he got slightly chubby and saw himself on telly he thought ‘right, I’m going to lose it’. He wanted to look good.”

Deakin University professor of dietetics Judi Porter said liquid diets tended to be seen as a quick and easy way to lose weight, but there was little clinical evidence to support their health effects.

People continue to place flowers and other items at the Shane Warne statue at the MCG days after his death in Thailand. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

“Dietary change is difficult,” she said. “There may be a role for liquid-only diets, but it needs to be done with supervision and with support from professionals.

“(They are) fad diets like the detox diets and there is actually no evidence to show that having a low-energy liquid diet is going to be any more beneficial than a low-energy food diet.

“You need to make ongoing changes to your diet and your lifestyle if you are wanting to lose weight. There is no miracle cure, there is no miracle pill. It’s about making long-term balanced changes.”

Professor Porter said all types of liquid diets – including juice, tea and broth only – were defunct and did not lead to long-term weight loss. While she could not comment on whether losing weight extremely quickly could contribute to an increased risk of heart attack, Prof Porter said “poor diet is clearly linked to coronary heart disease”.

Warne’s diet fluctuated, Mr Erskine told the Today show over the weekend, and it has been reported he smoked and enjoyed eating meat pies, baked beans and tinned spaghetti.

“It was a bit all or nothing. It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he would be having black and green juices,” he said.