Writing in the Courier Mail, Robert Craddock shares his memories on the relationship between Glenn McGrath and his wife, Jane, who succumbed to cancer yesterday.
Once on a South African tour, Glenn made her heart melt when he told her how lonely he was and how much he was missing her. "And I've gone into the kitchen and put the kettle on and put the news on, and the sport was on," Jane said. "And there he is coming down this water chute in his swimmers with his arms in the air going 'wooohooohooo' and I could have absolutely killed him. "I rang him straight back and said: 'I'd hate to see you when you're happy if that's depressed'. He hasn't done that again."
... "I've decided to take up the piano and learn one song . . . for Jane," said McGrath, who later bought his own piano.The song was Richard Marx's heart-tugging melody Right Here Waiting For You.A cold, ruthless fast-bowling enforcer on the field, McGrath had a soft, romantic touch beyond the boundary when it came to his wife and family.
Also, have a look at a 2004 Enough Rope interview where Jane and Glenn McGrath spoke of how they met and dealt with the devastating news of her being diagnosed with cancer.
You met in 1995. When you first met, did the sparks fly?
Glenn McGrath: Yes. Sort of think back to a few years ago now. A nice little nightclub in Hong Kong called Joe Bananas. We've often thought about heading back there sometime, it was an interesting place to meet, to say the least. But, some good memories.
... Jane McGrath: ... We were walking through Cronulla, and people were shouting, "Hey, Glenn," and "Oooh, ah," and I thought, "God, he's a popular chap. He's got lots of mates." And that was the bit... I just thought he was a popular bloke, had a lot of friends, and then we went to a friend of his that were having a barbecue, and the girl said, "So, what's it like going out with Glenn McGrath?" And I said, "What's it like going out with your boyfriend?" And she goes, "Yeah, but Jane, Glenn's a superstar!" And I was just dumbstruck. I said, "What do you mean, a 'superstar'? I said, "Like Ryan Giggs?" He's a soccer player in the UK. And she's, "Jane, Glenn's as famous as Robert De Niro." Which he's never let me forget!
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