Wife of England cricketer Ben Stokes sobbed in court as he was acquitted of affray

As he left the courtroom a free man today, Ben Stokes was joined by the woman who has stood resolutely by his side throughout his trial. 

Clare Stokes, 28, accompanied the cricketer to Bristol Crown Court everyday and wept with relief as he was cleared of affray following a seven-day trial. 

The primary school teacher and mother of two clutched the arm of her 27-year-old husband as they welcomed the jury’s verdict and made their way home, putting behind them the nightclub brawl in September 2017.

England cricket player Ben Stokes and his wife Clare Ratcliffe leaving Bristol Crown Court today

The couple married just one month after the incident in October 2017, in the picturesque St Mary's Church in East Brent, Somerset

The couple married just one month after the incident in October 2017, in the picturesque St Mary’s Church in East Brent, Somerset

The couple have waited nearly one year for the outcome, after Stokes was charged with affray following the fight outside a Bristol nightclub on September 25 last year.

The couple married just one month after the incident in October 2017, in the picturesque St Mary’s Church in East Brent, Somerset – the village where Clare Stokes, née Ratcliffe, grew up. 

The couple will no doubt be looking forward to putting the incident behind them as they prepare to celebrate their first wedding anniversary in two months.   

Some 200 of their closest friends and family were at the church service to see the happy couple tie the knot, with their children Libby, two, and Layton, four, acting as flower girl and page boy. 

Among the celebrity guests at their nuptials were Ben’s teammates Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Paul Collingwood, while England captain Joe Root was there to lend his support. 

Afterwards a reception took place at the 16th century Rookery Manor – a four star country house hotel and spa in nearby Edingworth.   

Clare describes herself as a ‘cricket widow’ and a ‘parent to two monsters’. 

The couple got engaged in 2013, soon after the death of her father, Arthur.

Ben and Clare placed a notice in their local Somerset paper at the time, informing people of the happy news.  

Clare documents their happy family life on social media, regularly sharing photographs of their holidays. 

She also keeps fans updated with her struggle to find food for her daughter Libby, who has  coeliac disease, meaning she has an adverse reaction to gluten and must steer clear of any food containing wheat, barley or rye.



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