Cricket icon Stuart Broad has opened up on his split with partner Mollie King back in 2013.
The pair had started dating the previous year but, due to their jobs, opted to call their relationship off.
They would get back together in 2019 and, last November, welcomed a daughter named Annabella.
And Broad, writing in his new book, has opened up on his relationship with King and why they briefly went their separate ways.
Cricket news: Stuart Broad first started dating Mollie King back in 2012
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“Typical of young professionals, we were all over the place," he wrote.
"In early 2013 I flew off to India for some one-dayers and then on to New Zealand.
“Mollie went to film in Los Angeles, and despite really enjoying each other’s company, being at opposite ends of the world didn’t help us stay in touch.
“It is fair to say we were two people putting their careers first at that stage in our lives.
“I would never have guessed how big an impact she would have later on mine, not only as my partner and mother of Annabella, but my cricket, helping to alleviate pressure in my final five years with England.”
Broad also revealed that, upon reuniting with King, they enjoyed a make-or-break trip to Paris which helped them realise they could make things work.
“We saw each other a couple of times before I went off on another tour of New Zealand," he stated.
"‘Oh no, not New Zealand again’, I thought.
"I didn’t want the same curse of five years previously striking once more, and with me living in Nottingham, Mollie in London, it could have shaped up as being another ‘I go away, she goes away’ situation.
“It felt like we needed to have a couple of nights and some time together to make a call on whether we could make things work, so two days after I got back from New Zealand, despite being worried about the jet lag, we were on the train to Paris.
“We walked around the streets, sat and drank coffee, everything we could do in London.
"But somewhere else.”
Broad, who retired from cricket earlier this year, proposed to King on New Year's Day in 2021.
But he's now hilariously revealed the proposal was nearly postponed because a man was sitting on the bench where he wanted to pop the question.
“I had calculated that it was early morning, everyone would have been out partying the night before and lying in," he said.
“They were.
"Apart from one bloke sitting on the park bench exactly in the spot where I wanted this romantic moment to take place, reading his paper, having a coffee.
“I was like, ‘Aaargghh!’ I gave him the eyes to suggest he moved on but, after doing another loop of the park, he was still there.
“So I persuaded Mollie to go round once more. Next time, he’d gone.
"We had about 15 minutes of enjoying the moment together before we walked up to the highest point of the hill and, to Mollie’s surprise, we were greeted by her mum and dad, who I’d arranged to be standing waiting at the top so she could share the excitement of the moment with them.”
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Cricket news: Stuart Broad and Mollie King welcomed a daughter last year
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Broad also says he's adjusted to retirement and King, as well as Annabella, have helped him come to terms with the fact his cricket career is now over.
He wrote: “Mollie had always been good at motivating me to play, but less instructive now on the prospect of not playing, listening but ultimately telling me it had to be my call. ‘Go with your gut feeling’, she said.
“Problem was that I didn’t really have one, and so I simply had to go one way or the other. There was no point in procrastinating.
“It was either committing to another couple of years or put playing in the past.
“As I mulled it over, it still felt like a 50–50 call.
“Perhaps subconsciously, the fact I had barely seen Mollie and Annabella for the two previous months swayed me.
Cricket news: Stuart Broad announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year
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“It definitely makes you miss home, having a little daughter who is changing every day, and I want to be a dad who is there for her, takes her to school and watches her grow up.
“Not that there was any sense of payback to the decision to end my England career. No sense of duty to move to a new phase in life.
“Crucially though, there was something about having my two girls at home that made this decision feel easier as I walked along the hotel corridor towards Ben’s room.
“It filled my heart with joy, knowing that when this particular week in London was over, I would be able to spend more time with them.”
