A close friend and personal assistant of Shane Warne has revealed fresh details about the pressure that the Australian cricket icon had been experiencing in the months prior to his tragic passing.
Warne sadly passed away on March 4, 2022, at the age of 52, after the legendary spin bowler suffered a suspected heart attack while vacationing on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand.
Helen Nolan, who had worked with Warne for 15 years as his assistant, told The Herald Sun that the Victorian cricket great had asked her to book out his schedule for three months, after telling her that he was feeling fatigued.
‘In early February 2022, Shane said to me: “For the first time in my life, I feel exhausted. I need a proper break. Three months. Is there a way?”’ Nolan said.
‘I had never heard him say that before. So, I cleared his schedule.
‘Declined invitations. Moved commitments. Blocked out three full months.’
A close friend and personal assistant of Shane Warne (pictured top) has revealed fresh details about the pressure that the Australian cricket icon had been experiencing in the months prior to his tragic passing
Helen Nolan was Warne’s close friend and personal assistant. She revealed that Warne had said he had been feeling ‘exhausted’ prior to his death
Warne (centre) sadly passed away on March 4, 2022, at the age of 52, after the legendary spin bowler suffered a suspected heart attack while holidaying on the islands of Koh Samui in Thailand
Nolan, who now works as the CEO for the Shane Warne Legacy Foundation, added: ‘He was on day one of that break.
‘And contrary to what was reported, he wasn’t seeing a heart specialist or any doctor. He had no idea what was about to unfold.
‘It’s such a simple lesson, but I think about it every day: When your body speaks, listen.’
The Shane Warne Legacy Foundation has been working to raise awareness of cardiac health risks among Australians.
- You can find your nearest Shane Warne Legacy Health Check location here
As part of their endeavours to honour the Australian cricket great, The Shane Warne Legacy Foundation offers free health checks, which can identify whether a person has an increased risk of Type Two diabetes or is at increased risk of heart complications.
The organisation states that it has facilitated just under 430,000 health checks since its inception.
During the recent Boxing Day Test, health monitors were set up around the MCG.
As part of their commitment to honour his legacy, The Shane Warne Legacy Foundation has been working to raise awareness around cardiac health risks in members of the Australian public
During this year’s Boxing Day Test match, the foundation had installed health test machines around the MCG which can identify whether a person is at risk of diabetes or a heart condition
As England sealed a two-day victory against Australia in Melbourne, 7,431 fans underwent health checks, with The Shane Warne Legacy Foundation revealing that 37 per cent of those tests encouraged the person undertaking the assessment to see a GP.
Justine Cain, Diabetes Australia Chief Executive, said that the great thing about the Foundation’s tests was that they were ‘free, quick and self-service’.
‘They can help start a conversation with a health professional,’ she wrote on LinkedIn.
‘While not all diabetes can be prevented, we know that 58 per cent of Type Two diabetes cases could be prevented or delayed.
‘For that to happen, we need to reach people who are at risk, and at this year’s Test we’ve done that for thousands of cricket fans.’
During the Test match, the MCG paused for a brief moment to pay homage to the Australian cricket legend.
It was the first Ashes Test at the MCG since Warne tragically died in 2022, a ground at which the legendary spin bowler forged his glittering career.
Former players Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan stood on the boundary rope alongside Warne’s children, Brooke and Jackson, and doffed their hats at 3.50pm – a tribute to Warne’s Test cap number – as fans inside the 100,000-capacity ground also tipped their hats.
During the Test match, the MCG paused for a brief moment to pay homage to the Australian cricket legend.
Jackson Warne (pictured with his sister Brooke) also spoke on the importance of undergoing a health check during the match
‘I feel like every single day I’m in this whirlwind or tornado of Dad, everywhere I go, it’s just: “Dad, Dad, Dad”,’ Jackson said, while speaking at the Boxing Day Test.
‘But when I come to events like Boxing Day… any activations for the Shane Warne Legacy, it just reminds me how many people love Dad – that’s why the numbers are so high.’
Speaking on the work of the Shane Warne Foundation, Jackson added: ‘If we can just try and encourage as many people to look after their heart — a lot of people look after their brain and muscles and bones, but forget about the heart.’
You can find your nearest Shane Warne Legacy Health Check location here