Shane Warne’s son Jackson spoke about how ‘proud’ he was to be the son of the cricket icon in a deeply personal interview last year.
The 23-year-old and his sisters Brooke, 24, and Summer, 20, are grieving the loss of their father after he was found dead from a suspected heart attack, aged 52, in Thailand.
Speaking to Men’s Health, Jackson said he was ‘lucky’ to be the son of the sports star: ‘I only see Dad as Dad. I can’t compare him to other parents.
Shane Warne’s son Jackson spoke about how ‘proud’ he was to be the eldest boy of the cricket icon in a deeply personal interview last year
‘I can always remember just smiling. So, I think he did a great job. And I’m proud of him.’
Jackson, who lived with his father in Melbourne for the past four years, said living in his dad’s shadow was always something he ‘wrestled with’, but was eventually at peace with it.
‘For me, all I had to do to switch that mindset was to realise that I didn’t choose who my dad was, and what he did was bloody awesome,’ he added.
The tragic last photo Jackson shared with his father was on January 31, 2022. The pair were pictured beaming while watching the Australian Open alongside Australian Rules footballer Steven Baker (right)
The tragic last photo Jackson shared with his father was on January 31, 2022. The pair were pictured beaming while watching the Australian Open alongside Australian Rules footballer Steven Baker.
‘What a night!!’ Shane commented underneath.
Jackson maintained a strong relationship with his dad, which was evident during his appearance on SAS Australia in 2020.
After a gruelling stint on the show, Jackson burst into tears when he heard his father’s voice on the phone after the pair were separated for so long.
After a gruelling stint on SAS Australia, Jackson burst into tears when hearing his father’s voice on the phone after the pair were separated for so long
‘I was in such a different state of mind when I was on that course,’ Jackson explained to The Herald Sun at the time.
‘This is the only thing that matters, and when I was doing the self isolation in Jindabyne I probably had only spoken to him three times so I saw his face pop up and it all came out.’
Jackson said that his emotions ‘overwhelmed’ him.
He added: ‘I had the biggest cry I had in five or six years.’
During the episode, Jackson called his famous father to tell him he was quitting and erupted into tears.
‘Guess what! I tried everything. I did everything. I tried all the food, I did all the ropes courses, I did all the water stuff, I did it all,’ he told his dad.
‘Guess what! I tried everything. I did everything. I tried all the food, I did all the ropes courses, I did all the water stuff, I did it all,’ he told his dad
Clearly proud, Shane told his son ‘well done’ and asked him if he was ‘glad’ he’d agreed to appear on the gruelling reality show.
‘Yes, so happy! I learnt so much. It’s changed my life,’ Jackson told Shane, who smiled and told him, ‘That’s awesome’.
As Shane told his son that he looked ‘exhausted’, Jackson began to sob uncontrollably.
‘Oh, mate. You know what I reckon you’ve done, you’ve pushed yourself so much. You’ve done unreal, mate,’ Shane reassured him.
Shane posted a photo of Jackson to Instagram after his SAS stint, along with a moving caption. ‘I’m so glad everyone got to see what a wonderful, caring and thoughtful young man Jackson is. Love you so much,’ he wrote
As well as living together in Melbourne, Jackson also lived with her father in the UK during the most recent Ashes series where Shane was a commentator for Sky Sports
He added: ‘We love you. We’re so proud of you. You’ve done awesome… Mate, we’re so proud of you. You’ve done unbelievably well.’
Overcome with emotion, Jackson continued to sob as his dad told him how much he loved him and how proud he was of him.
‘Go and smash 20 burgers!’ Shane added with a laugh.
Shane later shared a picture of Jackson on the show, which he captioned: ‘So proud of my son @jacksonwarne18 for pushing himself so hard on @sasaust7!!
‘I’m so glad everyone got to see what a wonderful, caring and thoughtful young man Jackson is. Love you so much’.
Australian cricket hero and legendary leg-spinner, Warne, pictured at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 18, died suddenly aged 52 on Friday
As well as living together in Melbourne, Jackson also lived with her father in the UK during the most recent Ashes series where Shane was a commentator for Sky Sports.
In the same interview with Men’s Health, Shane said that the pair have become like ‘best mates’.
‘We do everything together. As well as father-son, we’re like best mates,’ Shane said. ‘His interests and my interests are very similar, probably because he’s lived with me for so long and he’s been around my friends.’
Jackson is yet to publicly speak out on the death of his father.
Tributes poured in after Warne was found dead while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday evening.
Four friends staying with him battled to save his life for 20 minutes, police have said.
The Australian megastar cricketer turned pundit and businessman, and the greatest leg spinner in history, was found unconscious in a villa in the resort.
Thai police said that Warne was staying in the villa with four friends, and when one of the group tried to wake Shane for food at around 5pm local time today he was found to be unresponsive.
Thai police said that Warne was staying in the villa with four friends, and when one of the group tried to wake Shane for food at around 5pm local time today he was found to be unresponsive
Officers said the friends performed CPR on him for around 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived and took Warne to the Thai International Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Speaking this evening by phone, Police Senior Sergeant Major Suporn Hemruangsree said: ‘Police received a report about somebody who died at the Thai International Hospital so we went and asked the hotel, and found out that the deceased was with four other friends and died in the room.
‘In the villa, the people were sleeping in separate rooms. They were sleeping from afternoon to evening, until about 5pm.
‘At 5pm somebody came to call out this person for dinner but the deceased did not respond so they called three other friends to perform CPR for 20 minutes. They waited for the ambulance to come.
‘The doctor announced the death of the person at 6:53pm. Police went and checked the room and there was no sign of intrusion or possessions being searched through. The body was sent for an autopsy at Koh Samui Hospital.’
Warne became a global star in 1993 by bowling out Mike Gatting with the so-called ‘Ball of the Century’ – his first ball in Ashes cricket. He went on to get 708 test wickets, tormenting teams all over the world, especially Australia’s great rival England
Pictured in 1997 with her fellow Aussie cricketers in the change rooms of the 4th test match in England
Warne’s manager separately confirmed his death, saying that the father-of-three could not be revived.
‘It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday March 4,’ a statement from the management company read.
The statement added: ‘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.’
Warne became a global star in 1993 by bowling out Mike Gatting with the so-called ‘Ball of the Century’ – his first ball in Ashes cricket.
He went on to get 708 test wickets, tormenting teams all over the world, especially Australia’s great rival England.
Warne is survived by his three children, Jackson, Summer and Brooke, all of whom he shares with his ex-wife of ten years Simone Callahan.
MailOnline understands Warne landed in Thailand yesterday and was seen looking happy while chatting with fans at the airport and looked like he was on a boys’ break.
He is believed to have died at the luxury Samujana Villas resort in Koh Samui.
Shane is survived by his three children, Jackson, Summer and Brooke, all of whom he shares with his ex-wife of ten years Simone Callahan
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk