Melbourne: Model Gina Stewart has made the sensational claim that she was in a secret relationship with the late Shane Warne.
Gina, who calls herself as the ‘world’s hottest grandma’ on her social media handles, said she was in regular contact with the legendary leg-spinner before his shocking death in Thailand five months ago.
The 51-year-old OnlyFans star described Warne as a ‘friend and confidante’.
Warne’s death, following a heart attack on March 4 while on holiday in the Thai island of Koh Samui, shook the sporting world and ‘devastated’ Gina.
“I have been devastated over the last few months. The world lost a legend and I lost a friend and confidante. The unthinkable happened. I was dating Shane but it wasn’t well-known. He wanted to keep it personal,” Gina told Daily Star.
Recalling how they met, Gina revealed she first spoke to the charismatic and controversial Warne in 2018 and, after exchanging several messages, finally met him in person in Gold Coast.
“He arrived at the Gold Coast and I met him after a cricket game. We hit it off straightaway and spent the whole night talking and getting to know each other. I found him extremely interesting and I loved hearing about his life and what made him tick. We became extremely close and I made a promise to him that I would keep our story out of the public eye,” Gina said.
She said they had to take various measures to avoid the media.
“At the time I had to be careful of the paparazzi as I had a publication trying to photograph me a lot where I lived. Shane and I would wear hats and sunglasses just to go out and we became creative on the Gold Coast and later Melbourne when I visited,” she recalled.
“This is the first time I’ve spoken publicly about this and I always abided by his wishes and kept my life private. I couldn’t speak until now and I just want people to know he was a truly caring humanitarian. He gave back in so many ways through good deeds and he truly was a legend and someone who his kids can be forever proud of,” Gina added.
She also claimed that she had spoken to Warne before he left for the fateful holiday in Thailand.
“I was in contact with him before he left (for Thailand) and he was a good listener. He made you feel like you mattered. He would tell me he felt so comfortable with me as if he had known me forever.”
The 52-year-old Warne played 145 Tests and 194 ODIs for Australia, bagging 1001 international wickets.
