‘Can’t be fixed’: Shane Warne’s ex still struggling with the loss of her former partner

More than a year on from the tragic death of cricketing great Shane Warne, his ex-wife Simone Callahan has opened up about the “heaviness” she still carries with her to this day.

Warne, died at the age of 52 while enjoying a holiday on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand on March 4, 2022.

Following his sudden death, Warne’s management released a statement acknowledging the tragedy.

“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement said.

It was later revealed that Warne died of coronary artery atherosclerosis after his death certificate was released by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.

Atherosclerosis is a hardening and narrowing of the arteries caused by plaque build up over time. It can cause arteries to become blocked and is a common cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Despite some answers as to the cause of his death and the passage of time, little has eased the difficulty Callahan still experiences daily.

“Nothing remains the same when we lose a loved one, as so many people would relate. My kids lost their dad and I lost the father of my kids,” she told House of Wellness.

“It’s a hard feeling to put into words, but it’s always there with you. It’s something you never think will happen and it’s something that can’t be fixed.

“There’s a heaviness, just the whole process of living life without Shane in it. But what the kids and I shared with him we’ll always have.”

Although Callahan and Warne divorced in 2005, the couple remained close and were always there for each other when it came to raising their kids.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simone Callahan (@simonecallahan)

Warne was considered one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history. He played his first Test match in 1992 and took over 1,000 wickets in Tests and One-Day Internationals over the course of his career. Warne’s 708 Test wickets from 145 tests was the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket until 2007.

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack recognised Shane’s incredible sporting achievements by naming him as one of its Five Cricketers of the Twentieth Century alongside fellow cricket icons Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Sir Vivian Richards. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2013.