He’s an Aussie cricketing legend, she’s a former Ironwoman.
Together, David and Candice Warner are a classic sporting power couple, but their love story had a very 21st-century beginning.
Speaking to her fellow campmates on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, Candice opened up about her first impressions of David.
“He was having drinks with his friends, I was out with my friends, and we just got talking… Our relationship moved really quickly. It was just one of those things that felt so right,” she shared, adding, “It was an easy relationship. We were able to be ourselves.”
Speaking to New Idea in 2018, David revealed that he and his now wife first crossed paths on Twitter and officially became a couple in 2013.
“I was away in England for the Ashes and I got another message from Candice after I was involved in an incident,” he recounted.
“She said, ‘Just letting you know I am thinking of you and I know how hard it can be being away from home.’ Then we just started texting and Skyping. It was bizarre.”
From their first meeting, the couple’s romance quickly blossomed, with David popping the question to Candice in Cape Town, South Africa in 2014. As well as celebrating their engagement, the couple also welcomed their first child, daughter Ivy Mae, in September 2014.
One year later, David and Candice tied the knot in a stunning ceremony at the Terrara House Estate on the NSW South Coast in April 2015.
Speaking to Woman’s Day shortly after the wedding, David reflected on the couple’s big day, saying, “How could I not have a tear in my eye when I saw Candice walk around the corner looking like the most beautiful bride in the world?”
“I was struck again by just how lucky I was to find The One – the woman I will spend the rest of my life with.”
Candice looked every inch the blushing bride in a Pallas Couture gown and admitted: “I felt like a princess.”
“It was the best day of my life next to having Ivy. I had a lump in my throat during the ceremony.”
The couple have since welcomed two more daughters – Indi Rae (born in January 2016) and Isla Rose (born in June 2019).
In October 2023, Candice and David spoke with Body and Soul, offering a rare and intimate look into their relationship and family life, with the cricketer admitting to the publication that the guilt that comes with being away from home is difficult.
“When I’m away and she’s at home with the kids, feeding them, maybe Isla’s crying, and I’m going to dinner with the guys or having a beer in the bar… I feel guilty that I’m not there to help handle those situations,” he said.
It came as no surprise then, when the cricketing legend announced his retirement from one-day international cricket in the lead-up to his final Test match in January 2024.
“It’s time to let Candice do what she wants to do, and it’s time for me to spend some time with the kids,” he told Body and Soul. “So, I’m looking forward to that and just being back home and being part of the family,”
“The reason we’re so strong together is that we both understood what we were getting into [when we started a family]. It’s been a big sacrifice for Candice. I extremely admire her for what she’s been doing for our family. I owe a lot to her and I will repay that over my lifetime for sure.”
Despite their tight family unit, the Warners have faced their fair share of controversy – most notably in a 2018 incident where David was involved in an altercation with South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock after he made an alleged derogatory comment about Candice.
David was given a level two charge and three demerit points, plus he was fined 75 per cent of his match fee for his actions.
“I’ve been called everything under the sun out on the field and that, quite frankly, doesn’t bother me. But in the proximity of my personal space and behind me, a comment that was vile and disgusting and about my wife – and just in general about a lady – was quite poor,” David said following his charge.
“It was just something that I don’t believe should have been said … [it was] out of line. I responded emotionally and regretted the way it played out, but I’ll always stick up for my family.”
Candice suffered more heartbreak in 2018 when she suffered a miscarriage in the weeks following the ball-tampering scandal.
“The miscarriage was a heartbreaking end to a horror tour. The ordeal from the public humiliations to the ball-tampering had taken its toll and, from that moment, we decided nothing will impact our lives like that again,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly.
In 2021, the mother of three joined SAS Australia and spoke candidly about how the ball-tampering scandal wreaked havoc on her family life.
“My two kids having to face that media was shocking,” she explained.
“The hardest thing for me was being told that I was a really bad mother. I’m doing this for my family – to show my kids that it’s not just Daddy who is tough and strong.”
During her 2024 appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, Candice shared her reflection on her husband’s cricket career and reputation, telling her fellow celebrities, “He’s always had these people who’ve had a misconception of him, but when you actually get to know him, he’s the most kindest, generous person.” I think he would have been better off playing in a different era.”
Candice also shared that she felt David would “have been better off playing in a different era” of cricket, claiming that he had faced adversity from his teammates and administration.
“There’s been plenty of people that have burnt myself and David along the way and it happens to so many people, and it wouldn’t be right for me to name them individually, but those people know who they are.”
Want to discover your love story? Start your journey today for FREE with eHarmony.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
