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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Kyle O'Sullivan

Shane Warne's sacrifice for beloved kids and how he 'couldn't wait to be grandad'

After dedicating most of his life to cricket, Australia legend Shane Warne decided it was time to put his kids first.

On the cricket pitch he was the greatest leg-spinner of all time, having taken 708 Test match wickets, but to his children he has always just been their fun-loving dad.

Shane is the father of three children, Brooke, 24, and Summer, 20, and son Jackson, 22, who he shares with ex-wife Simone Callahan.

Tragically, it was announced today that Shane has died at the age of just 52 after suffering a suspected heart attack.

In a statement, Warne's management said: "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived.

"The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course."

Shane Warne during the 2007 Ashes with kids Jackson, Brooke and Summer (Philip Brown)

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Due to his role as an international cricketer, Shane spent a lot of time travelling around the world when his kids were younger.

But he always made sure to spend as much time with them as possible when he was back in Australia and did everything he could to provide for them.

After splitting from his ex-wife Simone, they would take turns in looking after the kids and Shane became far more hands on.

"I always made their lunches, walked them to school, took them to sport, etc. It was bloody hard - being a single parent is difficult, but fun too. I'm so glad they are 19, 21 and 23 now," Shane told Herald Sun in April last year.

Shane admitted that co-parenting their three children was 'never easy' but they found a way to make it work.

"Co-parenting is never easy but you've got to be a grown up and if you put your kids first you can do it," he told The Daily Telegraph in 2020.

Shane watches as his daughter Brooke bowls in 2007 (Getty Images)
(L-R) Summer Warne, Jackson Warne, Elizabeth Hurley, Shane Warne, Damian Hurley and Brooke Warne (Getty Images)

"When people start using the children for their own advantages and don't make them the priority, that's when difficulties happen.

"Both of us have put our children as our number one priority at all times and that's why it's been able to work."

Shane made a point of not pushing any of his kids into cricket, but having one of the world's greatest ever cricketers as a dad was always going to rub off.

"I never pushed Jackson into cricket... He played it for a year, took a hat-trick - took four wickets in five balls - bowling a little bit of leg spin or with the seam, smashed a few with the bat," Shane told the Herald Sun.

While Jackson explained the pressure to live up to his father's incredible talents turned him away from cricket, but he had the support of his dad.

"The whole pressure factor … I could never be that good, I could never try to be that good. The pressure and expectations … I just was not really interested," Jackson said.

"But when we were going through school, it didn’t matter what we wanted to do, Dad just wanted us to be happy."

Jackson, who has shied away from the limelight, put a rare post on social media recently to introduce his new girlfriend, Kiah.

And Shane certainly gave the new couple his stamp of approval as he commented: "Awwwwww love you guys," along with a series of love heart emojis.

While eldest daughter Brooke is in a relationship with her long-time boyfriend Alex Heath and they were rumoured to be getting married this year.

"He's at the stage, like many retired sportsmen, where he can now focus on family first. He's got a real soft side and is a big teddy bear, so as a doting grandad he'll get the chance to get even closer to his own amazing kids, who are all busy making their place in the world," an insider told Australian site Women's Day in January.

The Insider added: "Imagine Warney as a grandad – he's just a big kid at heart. He'll have them playing backyard cricket and bowling right-arm off spin before they can even walk."

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