Back on home turf
Ali and Casey’s Kiwi return
It’s been four long years since they packed up and moved to Europe, so it’s no wonder former All Black Ali Williams and his gorgeous wife Casey Green are looking chuffed to be back on home turf.
After slipping unannounced into the country, the pair, both 36, have set up temporary digs with Ali’s mum in Auckland’s chic St Mary’s Bay until they find their feet and rebuild their lives in their home city.
While they’re no longer living in romantic Paris, the loved-up duo, who married in Queenstown in 2011, couldn’t help stopping for a tender kiss as they toured open homes in Ponsonby with their daughters, Jessica, four, and Claudia, 10 months, in tow.
Ali’s professional rugby career ended after he was arrested for trying to buy cocaine outside a Paris nightclub in February. He was later convicted and fined $2300, and dismissed from his French rugby club Racing 92 as both a player and an off-field ambassador.
He tweeted, “I made a big mistake and I’m sorry. I feel I’ve let down our beloved rugby community. I will face the consequences. Thanks for all the support.”
Before their return home, the pair enjoyed “a good dose of the European sun”, and Ali’s former team-mate Dan Carter and his wife Honor gave them a five-star send-off from Paris, partying at the luxury Hôtel de Crillon.
Dance instructor Casey hinted that her celebrated lock husband would be pursuing business interests now that he has retired from rugby. “Good things come from adversity,” she said from Paris. “I’m thrilled to be bringing my family home and to get back into my fitness and nutritional work. Ali will still travel to Europe for business but I’m very much looking forward to settling into life back in New Zealand.
“It has been an unforgettable adventure as a family but it’s time to come home.”