'HAZEL WOULD ALWAYS BE MY VALENTINE'
After three years of marital bliss, while Hazel has become ‘more patient’, Yuvraj is enjoying being ‘the queen of the house’
Couples that travel together, stay together. That’s pretty much the relationship mantra for cricketer Yuvraj Singh and actor Hazel Keech, who are currently out of the country, holidaying. They completed three blissful years of marriage in November last year and as Yuvraj says, “it looks like 30 years, already”. On Valentine’s Day today, we got talking to the “fun-loving” pair, and decode the secret behind their bond.
It has been eight months since you retired... You must be getting a lot of time to spend with Hazel.
Yuvraj: Earlier I was busy, and now that I’m at home, Hazel has become busy. But it’s good because she has always been an actor, so I’m happy she’s doing what she always wanted to do.
How have these three years, with each other in your life, changed you as a person?
Yuvraj: I’ve realised I’m no longer the king of the house. Hazel is the king; I’m the queen (laughs). It has been a different journey. I got married at the right time when I was getting into a space where you don’t want to be changed. So, we adjusted as a couple. We were living for a while together before we got married and now, we are here. So, we’re used to each other, and Hazel would always be my valentine.
Hazel: The one major change in me that Yuvi has told me is patience. He, in the very beginning, had the most patience I had ever seen in a person — being patient with my insecurities, and times, when I’d be emotional — I’ve learnt that from him.
Do you guys believe in celebrating special days like Valentine’s?
Hazel: I do believe in celebrating things like
Christmas, anniversaries and Diwali... basically family time. Valentine’s Day is more of a novelty. However, we travel a lot, not always together. So, when we’re together, we try and celebrate days like these. When we’re not, it’s more me who makes an effort — give him a card or flowers. But, when he has planned something, he goes all out and has done very, very romantic things, which I’m not going to share ( laughs).
You’re quite out there on social media and are very open about your life. Do you ever put on extra thought before putting up a post?
Yuvraj: It’s more of banter, I’d say. We’re a fun loving couple who like pulling each other’s leg. We don’t pretend to be somebody else.
Hazel: We’re always joking on social media. We like to tease each other and that comes naturally because we have a great rapport and our relationship is based on a very solid friendship. We don’t really believe in too much PDA, as we don’t think it’s necessary to prove that we’re together. We’re very private people, so we try to keep our relationship that way.
But there would be times when you’ve to deal with nasty comments too… how do you handle those?
Yuvraj: Well, I ignore it and Hazel can’t. But, I tell her that there’s no point and it’s just a waste of time. Everybody will have an opinion of you. But you’re only going to do what you feel is right. That’s what I tell her. She doesn’t shy away from being honest, but sometimes, I’ve to tell her, ‘take it easy’ because I’ve also been like that and I’ve toned that down with time. But, she doesn’t really worry about what people are saying.