Amidst all the turmoil regarding the pay dispute and potential bans in the Australian cricket circles, national captain Steve Smith got engaged to his partner of five years, Dani Willis.
The 28-year-old took to Twitter and Instagram to announce the news to his fans, sharing a picture of him posing with Willis atop New York’s Top of the Rock observation deck.
"Today I got down on one knee and (Willis) said YES," read the caption.
A former competitive swimmer and water polo player, Willis has been Smith’s pillar for over half a decade now and travels with the Australian captain on his tours. She is currently studying a combined commerce/law degree from Sydney’s Macquarie University.
During India’s tour to Australia in 2014-15, she was seen along with the 28-year-old, striking a pose with Smith and opposite captain Virat Kohli during one of the team interactions. She was also seen in the stands with Candice Warner, wife of David Warner, during the World T20 last year.
Ever since Smith’s fortunes have gone up at the international level, Willis has been seen by his side, having made appearances with the rest of the Australian WAGS squad during the Ashes in 2015, and the World Cup that was held before that in Australia and New Zealand.
Smith met Willis at a bar during the inaugural season of the Big Bash in 2011-12. There were rumours of the duo getting engaged in January this year when she was seen wearing a diamond ring at the Allan Border Medal red carpet. She had arrived with Steve Smith wearing a sparkling white dress that perfectly complemented the Australian batsman, who wore a black tuxedo to the event.
In an interaction to Fairfax Media a few years back, Smith had described Willis as someone who ‘gave honest feedback’ and has been ‘terrific over the years’. She always gives me good advice and tells me the truth. It's nice that you have some honest feedback to come home to all the time”, he had said.The two have been active on social media, and regularly post pictures of each other during Smith’s tours and vacations.
We wish the two the very best of luck for the future.Also read: Steve Smith plays baseball, video goes viral
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