Warne could be landed with €6m divorce bill
Shane and Simone Warne publicly split during last year’s Ashes series in England after British papers alleged the champion leg-spinner had been involved in a series of sex scandals.
In an interview with a women’s magazine, Simone Warne said she would not be taking her husband of almost a decade back despite his pleas for a reconciliation.
“It’s over and there’s no going back,” she told New Idea. “I’ve worked out what I’m going to do and how I’ll cope.
“I don’t think Shane had really thought about it. I don’t think he believed it was really over. I am sure he thought we’d try again when he got back from the UK.”
Simone Warne did not discuss the financial aspects of the divorce settlement but the magazine said it was estimated at 10 million Australian dollars.
The cricketer’s management dismissed the figure as “a long way from the truth.”
Warne reportedly made close to two million dollars in earnings and endorsements last year, and the palatial family home in Melbourne is worth more than five million dollars.
Despite the end of their marriage the couple would continue to share their Melbourne home with their three children, Brooke, 8, Jackson, 6, and Summer, 3, Simone said.
“It sounds strange to be living together but the house is big enough to cope and it’s good for the kids to have him around. It’s almost like we’re flatmates.”
Meanwhile West Indies opener Chris Gayle is recovering well from his minor heart surgery and is looking forward to resuming his cricketing career before the end of the month.
The 26-year-old left-hander, who opted to undergo surgery during the West Indies’ recent tour of Australia, admits he is anxious to be back in the fray.
“I have been struggling with this heart condition for a while and so I decided to do the surgery and get it out of the way once and for all. The operation went well and the doctors were very optimistic about a full recovery,” said Gayle.
“The doctor actually said that there is only a one per cent chance that I will have the problem again and that makes me very optimistic.
“I really want to play cricket.
“It has not been easy for me to sit and watch from the sidelines. I am hoping to resume training this week and hopefully I will be able to represent Jamaica before the end of the Carib Beer Series.
“I know I will definitely miss the games against Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados but I am hoping to be back for the Guyana game (Jan 27-30).”
