Cricket scandal aftermath
IS DAVE & CANDICE’S MARRIAGE IN CRIS
It’s the bombshell cricket scandal that’s rocked Australia – and, it seems, Dave and Candice Warner’s marriage as well. Sources close to celebrity WAG Candice reveal that she’s ‘absolutely livid’ over the Australian cricket team’s shocking cheating bombshell, which has seen her vice captain husband Dave accused of ball tampering alongside captain Steve Smith during the third test match in South Africa.
Dave has already been stripped of his vice captaincy and faces calls to be sacked from the team, as well as facing controversy as fellow team members reportedly ‘turned’ on him after he ‘went rogue’ and was spotted sipping champagne with non-cricket friends just a day after the scandal broke.
But it seems his biggest battle might be on the home front with his furious wife, who reportedly had to leave the room when news of the scandal first broke.
‘Candice couldn’t believe it when she heard that Dave had been embroiled in a cheating scandal,’ says the insider. ‘She just said “How could you?”... she couldn’t believe he’d be so careless. She stormed out the room – she had to compose herself, she was that in shock.
‘As far as Candice is concerned, Dave’s already been at the centre of enough controversy in South Africa thanks to the infamous stairwell scuffle, with her name being dragged through the mud as well.
‘She’s speechless that things have escalated like this, and that they stand to potentially lose so much.’
The source tells New Idea that Candice has ‘worked really hard’ to put her controversial past behind her after years of scandal and cruel taunts after she was caught in a compromising position with footballer Sonny Bill Williams.
And it seems after marrying star cricketer Dave and having two gorgeous children – Ivy, three, and Indi, two – she’d finally moved on from those scandalous times... until now.
‘Dave and Candice really have had it made in recent years,’ says the insider. ‘They have a luxury home, cars, they travel the world and he’s been on top of his game – two beautiful children and money is never an issue. And the thought that Dave could potentially sacrifice so much because of one stupid act has left Candice speechless and furious.
‘They’ve gone from being cricket royalty and her leading the pack as the top WAG to
public enemy number one in one fell swoop. I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t putting a huge strain on their marriage.’
One well-placed source tells New Idea the cheating scandal comes as no surprise to those who know the Australian cricket team, claiming that they’ve ‘lost their integrity and morals’.
‘The current Australian cricket team has a serious culture problem which starts with staff and senior players. They believe they are all bigger than the game,’ says the insider. ‘They live in a bubble of money, fast cars, hotel rooms and women. Everything is disposable to them. They have lost their integrity, morals and sight on what’s important in and outside of the game.
‘Darren Lehman’s “family first” policy isn’t at all reflected by him or his team in the last six months. We have seen a senior player involved in a familydestroying affair, continuous on and off field antics and now a cheating scandal and it’s unacceptable. All of these players need to take responsibility for their actions and an example needs to be made for future players who deserve to represent their country with pride.
‘Cricket Australia seem to twist things and sweep things under the carpet to make their players, staff and board look good and it’s time to come clean. The baggy green and what it stands for is worth so much more than what this current team is portraying.’
While Candice has been silent since the scandal broke on March 25, she’s come out in defence of her fellow WAGS who have become the victims of online trolls. Lashing out on Twitter at ex-england captain Michael Vaughan – who laughed off complaints over the personal abuse the Australian players and their families were receiving – she wrote: ‘I’m glad it’s making you laugh. Wow so you would approve of the same treatment to your wife and 3 kids??’
The girlfriend of cricketer Cameron Bancroft – who stands accused of tampering with the ball on his captains’ orders – has also been attacked. Caitlin Paris has been called a ‘filthy human’ and ‘disgusting’ in a serious of vile posts. ‘All of this is taking a toll on Caitlin,’ says a source. ‘She just wants this nightmare over.’
‘THEY HAVE A LUXURY HOME, CARS, THEY TRAVEL THE WORLD... AND MONEY IS NEVER AN ISSUE’