11 November 2023 , 10:55
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Stuart Broad and Mollie King have opened up about their make or break trip that saved their relationship.
Despite being completely loved up now, it looks like it wasn't always smooth sailing for the pair. The duo, who are now parents to daughter Annabella, were in an on-off relationship after meeting back in 2012.
The Saturdays star and the cricket player have said they both put their careers first when they first got together. They briefly called time on their relationship but reunited in 2018 when they jetted away to a make or break trip to Paris together.
Speaking in his new book, Broadly Speaking, Stuart wrote about how he was due to go on another tour of New Zealand and worried the distance would mean him and Mollie couldn't be together. So the two of them decided to go to Paris for a few days to decide whether they wanted to make it work or not.
The pair have a daughter together (Instagram/ @stuartbroad)Stuart writes: "It felt like we needed to have a couple of nights and some time together to make a call on whether we could make things work, so two days after I got back from New Zealand, despite being worried about the jet lag, we were on the train to Paris. We walked around the streets, sat and drank coffee, everything we could do in London. But somewhere else."
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Stuart and Mollie went on to get engaged on New Year's Day 2021 before their daughter Annabella was born in November 2022. However, they have had some difficult times such as when Mollie's dad Steve died of cancer less than two weeks after Annabella was born.
Stuart said it was an "unbelievably emotional" time for Mollie and him but said she was glad her father got to meet his granddaughter before he passed away. He also went on to describe how Mollie had encouraged him to retire from cricket in July because he wanted to spend more time with his family.
He said: "Perhaps subconsciously, the fact I had barely seen Mollie and Annabella for the two previous months swayed me. It definitely makes you miss home, having a little daughter who is changing every day."
Mollie supported her partner throughout his sporting career. In July she celebrated his 2-2 Ashes series draw. After a 17-year career that saw him become England's second most prolific Test bowler overall, he is now set to join Sky Sports' commentary team.
Taking to Instagram to praise Stuart, Mollie wrote: "What a moment @stuartbroad - your last test! My darling, you've brought joy to so many cricketing fans all over the world, and especially to your family. We have loved every single minute of cheering you on and we're so incredibly proud of you.
"Watching you live out your dream has been something I will never forget. Annabella and I will be cheering you and the team on today, as always. We love you so much."