“I didn’t have a voice”: Natt Barr's frank question for Candice Warner
Candice Warner has spoken candidly of her experience following her 2007 bathroom ‘scandal’ with rugby’s Sonny Bill Williams, revealing the real reason she kept her silence for so long.
It was during an interview on Sunrise with host Natalie Barr, where Candice was promoting her memoir Running Strong, that she faced another round of questioning over the 16-year-old incident. And it was one question in particular, from Natalie, that prompted the floodgates to open.
“Did you think about coming out straight away and talking more about it?” Natalie asked.
“This was 16 years ago,” Candice responded. “16 years ago, we lived in a society where we didn’t have the voice, women didn’t have the voice that we do now. I didn’t have the opportunity.
“Back then, I was forced to apologise for - I was single - for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nowadays that just wouldn’t happen.
“I didn’t have a voice back then, now I do, and our society has changed.
“It still has a long way to go, but I feel like as a woman, I now have the confidence to be able to tell my side of the story and be heard.”
The former ironwoman - who now dedicates her time to her family and her career with Triple M radio and Fox Sports - went on to explain that the reason she hasn’t previously opened up was because of her three daughters with husband David Warner.
“In part it was for my three daughters,” she told Natalie, “who in time will be able to read the book, and I wanted them to get a better understanding of my story without any interference or judgement from outside.”
Candice has offered a similar explanation in the past, after confronting abuse at the cricket in 2022.
“A long time ago, when I was young, I got myself in a compromising position, which I regret,” she said during her appearance on SAS Australia.
“It had a huge impact on my family. Huge. It was just a personal situation. Too many drinks.
“Living with that and having to explain to my kids in the future is going to be very difficult. Especially when you’ve got three girls.
“I remember sitting on the side of the street and not being able to take it anymore.
“Yes, I’d made a mistake. But is that really worth, every single day, the media trying to drag me down? I don’t think so.
“It’s not something I am proud of but it’s something I can never take back.”
Images: Getty