Australian cricketer Michael Clarkeâs focus has been on sport and family in the lead up to the announcement of his split from wife of seven years, Kyly.
The celebrity couple is believed to have been living apart for the past five months while co-parenting daughter Kelsey Lee. In a recent interview, Michael spoke of his dedication to teaching the four-year-old whatâs âright and wrongâ, while immersing himself into training on a daily basis.
âSport is my life. It still is, I train every day because I love that feeling,
the 38-year-old HuffPost Australia back in December at the âHublot Loves Summerâ event in Sydney.
Michael retired from playing professional cricket in 2015 but has continued commentating on national sport.
âI still watch all sport on television. My daughterâs into tennis at the moment so I take her to tennis every Monday.â
He said posting responsibly on social media is something he strives to teach his daughter about.
âSocial media is part of her life,â he said. âMy little girl knows the password to my phone or the password to the iPad to watch Peppa Pig. Iâm amazed at how smart they are.
âMy approach as a father is to be completely open and honest and show her. Donât hide it, show her. Let her see, let her understand and then try and help guide her through right and wrong.â
The sports star acknowledged his parentsâ influence on him growing up, and how that has shaped his own parenting style.
âThatâs one of the things Iâm most proud of about my mum and dad, they taught me the difference between right and wrong,â he explained.
âDoesnât mean I didnât make mistakes, doesnât mean I didnât do wrong plenty of times... [Iâm] still doing wrong,â he admitted. âBut they showed me and they told me, âYou know, that is right, that is wrong. You make your decision, what you want to do.ââ
On Wednesday evening Michael and Kyly issued a joint statement to The Australian, saying it was a âdifficult decision to separate as a couple, amicablyâ after getting married in 2012.
âWith the greatest of respect for each other, weâve come to the Âmutual conclusion that this is the best course for us to take while committed to the co-parenting of our daughter,â the statement said.