Candice Warner has opened up about her whirlwind romance with David Warner, which saw them meet, get engaged and fall pregnant within six months.
The retired ironwoman, who now shares three children with the Australian cricketer, told fellow celebs on Channel 10’s I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! how she met David in Bondi after running the City 2 Surf in 2013.
“He was having drinks with his friends, I was out with my friends, and we just got talking,” she said on Thursday’s episode.
“Our relationship moved really quickly. It was just one of those things that felt so right.
“It was an easy relationship. We were able to be ourselves.”
While their relationship moved rapidly at the start, the Warners have stood strong as one of the country’s most prominent power couples.
Candice has long been by her husband’s side amid the endless highs and lows of his professional cricket career, most notably, during the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
More recently, David’s final Test series against Pakistan was shrouded by controversy after his former teammate Mitchell Johnson penned a scathing article about the opening batsman’s form.
Speaking to news.com.au before she went into the South African jungle, Candice admitted she struggled with the media scrutiny more than David.
“He just is not one that feels any pressure. He doesn’t care what anyone says,” she said.
“But he’s so incredibly resilient. I think people know that when his back is up against the wall, he produces something special. And that’s what we saw in Perth last year [164 runs].
“I’ve never met anyone quite like that, who just doesn’t feel pressure, who doesn’t care what people say.
“I’m incredibly protective of David, so I find it hard when you’re seeing the person that you love the most, being criticised or scrutinised for form or whatever it may be. And then sometimes it’s fair, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes people just use his name or our name for clickbait, and that’s when I get upset.”
The couple are both away from their three daughters, Ivy Mae, 9, Indi Rae, 8, and Isla Rose, 4, with Candice living off the grid in the middle of the jungle for the reality TV series, while David is in India playing in the IPL.
Candice was reduced to tears talking about their children, saying if she were to tap out of the jungle prematurely, it would be down to missing them.
“I think the pain of – sorry, I’ll try to say this without crying – being away from my family. I think for me, just missing my kids will be the hardest part,” she said.
“I’m not away from them very much. And I’m basically like a single mum because David’s away so often, that we’re like a little tribe.”
Candice is competing for the charity Dolly’s Dream, which aims to change the culture of bullying among young children and was founded after the suicide death of 14-year-old Amy “Dolly” Everett in 2018.
It’s a cause that aligns with the Warners desire to always have open communication with their young daughters.
“We’ve always been very honest with our girls and we speak to them, but every kid is so different,” Candice said.
“One of our kids is very open, and she talks to us about everything. Our middle child keeps everything to herself.
“It’s something that you worry about, but you just hope that you have a great relationships with your kids so they know that they can talk to you.
“But it’s also educating them and knowing that if you don’t feel comfortable talking to us, there are other people you can talk to.”
I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! continues Sunday at 7.30pm on Channel 10
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