Shane Warne - Personal Life

Personal Life

Warne was born in Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria to parents Keith and Bridgette, and grew up in Black Rock, Victoria. He went to Oakleigh South Primary School for one year. He attended Mentone Grammar School on a sporting scholarship and was the school's captain of cricket. He has three children — Brooke, Summer and Jackson — with his ex-wife Simone Callahan.

Since retirement, Warne has been doing "work for the Shane Warne Foundation... assists seriously ill and underprivileged children." Since launching in 2004, the charity has distributed £400,000; its activities include a charity poker tournament and a breakfast and "by the end of our summer, we hope to have raised £1.5 million."

Warne's private life has been beset by scandals and subjected to scrutiny by British tabloid newspapers. He came under criticism for text messaging a woman while on tour in South Africa, accused of sending lewd and harassing messages. However, the woman who made the claims was subsequently charged with extortion in her own country.

In 2000, he lost his Australian vice-captaincy after sending erotic text messages to a British nurse. He was also involved in an altercation with some teenage boys who took a photo of him smoking; Warne had accepted a sponsorship of a nicotine patch company in return for quitting smoking.

Allegations of extramarital affairs broke in 2005 as Australia began its tour of England in preparation for The Ashes. On 25 June 2005, Warne and his wife Simone Callahan announced that they had decided to separate.

On 7 May 2006, the News of the World tabloid newspaper published pictures of Warne standing in his underwear with a pair of 25-year-old models, as well as explicit text messages allegedly from Warne.

On 1 April 2007, Warne and his wife were reported to be getting back together. However, in September 2007, Simone returned to Australia from England after her husband had accidentally sent a text message meant for another woman to her phone.

Warne's history of high-profile marital infidelities inspired Australian singer-songwriter Kevin Bloody Wilson's 2003 music video entitled "The Shane Warne Song" as well as lines in Tim Minchin's "Some People Have It Worse Than Me" and "The JLA Song".

On 12 December 2010 following press reports and footage of him and English actress Elizabeth Hurley kissing, Warne announced via his Twitter account that he and Simone had separated a couple of months previously, but only his close friends and family had been informed. Although the relationship with Hurley at first seemed short-lived following the disclosure of Warne texting salacious messages to a married Melbourne businesswoman, the couple created a media frenzy when Hurley later moved in to Warne's Brighton mansion. On 30 September 2011, it was reported that Hurley and Warne were engaged and she was spotted wearing a large sapphire ring; their engagement was confirmed via Twitter shortly thereafter.