Michael Clarke appeared on A Current Affair on Tuesday in a bid to rehab his public image, only to be brutally stitched up on national television.
Clarke appeared on the Channel Nine show to speak publicly for the first time about the Noosa incident that involved an embarrassing public brawl with his on-off girlfriend, Jade Yarbrough.
The former Australian cricket captain became a laughing stock after the shocking altercation was secretly filmed by a bystander back in January and obtained by The Daily Telegraph.
In the footage, Clarke and Jade were engaged in a heated fight in a park in front of holiday-makers at the Queensland resort town.
To make matters worse for the cricketer, Jade’s sister and brother-in-law, Jasmine and Karl Stefanovic, were there at the time of the incident and found themselves roped into the public screaming match.
Opening up about the incident, Clarke told Current Affairs on Tuesday that the last year has been full of “lessons” for him to learn from.
“I call them lessons. I call so many things you know, you wish that … I think relationships are tough, a lot happens behind closed doors and a lot of things happen that we all deal with. I’ve dealt with a divorce, you know, man, I’ve been throughand it’s so sad, so hard.”“I think the one thing is you just got to do your best, good times, tough times, highs, lows, pros, cons; I’m like everyone else – still to this day I’m standing here trying my best and I hope that doesn’t change,” he continued.
Among the lessons he claimed to have learned is enjoying life in “moderation” in a bid to not allow such a brawl to happen again in the future.
“I love a good time,” he said. “But for me, probably too much, I think my whole life and if that’s um, whatever it is, going to the gym and training, it’s all about moderation.”
Clarke went on to share that the incident has had a big impact not only on his life, but also his young daughter’s, Kelsey Lee, who’s just seven years old.
“She’s getting photographed or hiding in the bushes and telling you and teachers that there’s a photographer. She is seven and she knows. ‘Daddy, there’s paparazzi.’ She is seven and she knows that,” he shared.
Earlier this year, Clarke issued a grovelling apology to those involved in the incident at the time, admitting it was all his fault.
“I accept full responsibility for this altercation and am shattered by my actions,” he told The Daily Telegraph.“I’m absolutely gutted I’ve put people I hold in the highest regard in this position. My actions in the lead-up to this altercation were nothing short of shameful and regrettable.
“I am shattered that because of my actions I’ve drawn women of class and integrity, and my mates, into this situation.”
Meanwhile, the pair split briefly after the headline-making incident, but sparked reconciliation rumours in July when she was seen at his Sydney home. The rumours were then fuelled last month when they were seen travelling to southern France together.
She too recently opened up about the incident, telling Stellar in September: “There’s no rule book for navigating constant headlines, public life and heartbreak.”
“Relationships can be tough and complicated and most people don’t have theirs splashed on the front page of the paper or dissected on breakfast TV. I felt heartbroken, and deeply embarrassed. I just wanted to hide forever.”