This talented and good-looking son of one of our greatest-ever cricketers was not blessed with Shane’s freakish ability with the ball, but Jackson Warne is fast proving he’s every bit as ambitious and driven as his superstar dad.
“I want to build my own brand and do my own thing, and if I can honour Dad in that process then that’s a bonus,” Jackson, 27, tells Woman’s Day in an exclusive interview four years after losing Shane.
He could be kicking back on a beach and living off the estimated $6.8 million inheritance he received after Shane’s death at just 52 in 2022, but instead he has built his own successful podcast, started a TV career in Britain and gained lucrative sponsorships.
“I feel like that is the last thing Dad would want me to do, so that’s why I absolutely wouldn’t,” Jackson says.
“Even though me, Brooke and Summer inherited a lot of money, I think that just shows how hard Dad worked his entire life and if we lived off that and did nothing our whole lives that would be a disaster.
“I think Dad would absolutely hate that, and it wouldn’t be good for anybody.”
Jackson remains remarkably humble and level-headed, given he grew up mixing with the rich and famous – who so loved and admired his dad that they have embraced him with open arms.
“He had a very big network and I’m very lucky because everyone I’ve ever reached out to has always been very kind in asking how they can help. I’m very lucky in that everyone he was connected to I can call friends,” he says.
The list of friends Jackson, or “Jacko” as Shane always called him, has on speed dial includes Sir Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin, Mick Jagger, Hugh Jackman, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Greg Norman, Kelly Slater and Shane’s former fiancee, Elizabeth Hurley.
SUPPORT NETWORK
Rock star Robbie Williams even dedicated a live performance of Angels to Shane at the AFL Grand Final, after the cricketer died of a suspected heart attack during a holiday to Koh Samui, Thailand, in March 2022.
Of course, his closest friend is Kiah Broadsmith, 25, the blonde beauty who has been by his side ever since Shane died, and who has helped him build a new life and even produces his podcast.
“She’s my best friend and everything is easy,” he says, confirming that he is “yet” to propose and revealing that he can see them moving to the Gold Coast and raising a family together one day.
“I’ve been with her over five years. She was there for me throughout the whole of 2022 and since as well. She’s great. I’ve got Kiah in every room of my podcast making sure all the cameras and sound are fine. I can look over to my right if I’m losing my train of thought or uncomfortable and I instantly feel safe and comfortable.”
Jackson won hearts around Australia when he joined his sisters, Brooke, 29, and Summer, 24, and shared their enormous loss and paid tribute to their much-loved dad at Shane’s memorial.
The following year Jackson gave up alcohol “to show people if I can do it under my circumstances so can you”, and then, with his sisters, launched the Shane Warne Legacy to provide free heart and cardiometabolic health checks.
“I just wanted to try and encourage people that when they go through something traumatic, instead of handling it with bandaids like alcohol or drugs, just to tackle it head-on,” he says.
Four years on from losing his dad, Jackson is quietly building his own media empire with Warne’s Way, his podcast about mindset, fitness, grief and personal loss, soon to release its 40th episode.
He and his dad were planning to start the podcast before Shane died.
“We loved the idea of a father-son dynamic, and with Dad’s personality and his network we would be able to talk to people from all walks of life,” he says.
“The core of my podcast is talking to his friends, people he’d played with, people he’d versed and sharing some stories about Dad. I don’t think it will be like that forever, but it has definitely been nice to meet some people and talk about him.”
Jackson has also recently finished a stint as a roving reporter for Sky Sports in the UK, and has announced he’s following in Shane’s footsteps by signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with Advanced Hair Studio.
GROWING STRONGER
It’s the same company Shane partnered with for 18 years, right up until his tragic death – and earned an estimated $8 million in sponsorship fees.
He hopes the new treatment will allow him to regrow the thick, blond “mullet-y style” he sported as a teenager, despite opposition from his dad, who famously had a mullet hairstyle himself at different times.
“It’s already feeling a bit thicker and stronger,” he says, revealing that he and his sisters often teased Shane about his rockstar hairstyles, and that he taught Jackson to brush off criticism from the haters.
“I saw Dad go through so much adversity my entire life and he always came out the other end stronger and fine. He never let it affect him.
“I can remember every single day, literally my whole life, ever since I got a phone always looking him up… and there were always articles about him – whether it was how he looked, his weight, who he was seeing, what he was wearing, where he was, whatever it may be.
“But he never let it affect him, so I wouldn’t let it affect me. I don’t think being who I am has made me feel or look any differently. I’m still just going to be myself and look after myself in every way I can.”
Jackson hopes to build on his recent stint on British TV.
“I debuted working for Sky Sports over in London as a roving reporter, which was fun, and I’ve had some other opportunities coming out of the podcast,” he says.
“But I don’t think you’ll see me on Seven, Nine or Ten news being an anchor or a reporter. I’m an ambassador for the APT [Australian Poker Tour]. I’ve got my own podcast, Sky Sports, now Advanced Hair Studio, and hopefully one day I will open up a gym.
“For now, I’m just focusing on the podcast and trying to grow my hair back!”
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