Glamorous cricket commentator Grace Hayden kicks off her new career with a VERY risque revelation about her legendary dad stripping naked on a tour
She is the daughter of legendary Australian cricket superstar, Matthew Hayden, and has spent the last year working for Star Sports on their coverage of the Indian Premier League, Channel 7's horse racing and the GT20 in Canada.
The 23-year-old has now made her podcasting debut, launching her own series on Willow TV, entitled Game On with Grace Hayden, and welcomed a very special guest for the first episode.
She was joined by her dad's old team-mate and fellow Aussie cricket legend Adam Gilchrist, with the pair going on to recount some of the wicketkeeper's greatest and funniest stories from his time playing with the Test side between 1999 and 2008.
And it is no surprise that Hayden's dad, Matthew, featured in one of Gilly's funniest stories, a yarn that Grace later admitted her mother hates.
The Aussie Test side had just won a match in Cape Town in South Africa. They had gone into the dressing room to perform the customary team song. But things escalated as Gilchrist admitted that the team decided to 'take things off-piste'.
Hayden has been taking the broadcasting world by storm and has just embarked on her latest venture
'We ended up going off to the cable car in Cape Town, up to Table Mountain,' Gilchrist explained to the Game On with Grace Hayden podcast.
'Some [players] were in the cable car, others were on the roof of the cable car, which OH&S wouldn't have a great time with.
Asked who got on top of the car, Gilly revealed: 'Well, one M. Hayden was on top of there and not only that, but he decided to drop a nude bomb.
'So he's basically stark naked with an Aussie flag draping around his neck.
'So, think Leonardo DiCaprio at the front of the Titanic... That was his 'king of the world' type moment.'
Speaking to Perth Now, Grace revealed another funny aspect of the story.
'Mum absolutely despises that,' she told the outlet. 'She was pregnant with the youngest back at home. But honestly, what goes on on tour, I think, should stay behind closed doors.
'Thank goodness there were no cell phones and video footage of that one,' she joked.
Grace spoke affectionately of her father, one of the Australian cricket team's great larrikins.
While many remember his sensational and ruthless ability to slog cricket balls with the bat, Grace admits her dad has a softer side.
'Obviously, he didn't have that reputation back on the cricket pitch, but anyone who knows him now, he's just a big, soft teddy bear,' she explained to Perth Now.
The emerging Aussie presenter explained to the outlet that her new podcast hopes to take a deep dive behind the scenes at the lives of much loved and revered Australian athletes.
'Obviously, we see the records, we see them at their highest. But getting to know them off the field or off the court, and just having a chat and a space to have heart-to-heart conversations and have a laugh, tell some untold stories,' she added.
The glamorous TV presenter also has an eye for fashion, but admitted that she and her dad don't quite agree when it comes to his outfit choices.
Matthew is known for sporting his now iconic cowboy hat when he makes an appearance on TV.
And that is the one thing Grace says they can agree on.
Hayden landed one of the biggest breaks of her budding TV career this year, working as a presenter for Star Sports' coverage of the Indian Premier League
'Fashion isn't the thing that we see eye to eye on,' she said.
'I actually like the big hat on Dad. I think it suits him.'
During the podcast, Gilchrist also praised that group of players, not only for talent, but for the bond they all shared during those long tours.
'That was a team that knew they had something unique by way of skill level and achievement. But maintained a sense of humour throughout,' he added.
He also revealed a touching story about how he arrived later than the rest of the squad at the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Carribbean. He had flown out after having become a dad but admitted he was 'pretty flat' having to leave his partner and the baby behind.
'I was starting to question [whether] I should be there. The first night I found a quiet little beach bar, I had a beer, and as you do, you celebrate your little stogie. But I took a companion with me and that happened to be your old man,' he told Grace.
'Of course,' she replied.
'We've all celebrated all our children pretty well,' Gilchrist added. 'But moments like that, just sitting and talking.
She has recently been spending time in Italy on vacation with her boyfriend Wilson Statham (right) and several other friends
'I ended up in tears about how emotional I was. Just leaning on those around you.
'The next night I went and did the same. He came again. And then the next night, until the point where John Buchanan said: 'Righto, Gilly come here. Are you ready to get into this World Cup now?' And I think I asked him for one more night.'
He revealed they got their extra night out, but he added he 'wasn't the one lone ranger. I think everyone came along and we had a nice blowout'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ben Stokes sees his pain as a friend not a foe after channeling late father's spirit to deliver brave, bicep-straining spell in gripping fourth Test
Before the fourth Test became a long and frustrating succession of strangled England appeals and stubborn India resistance, before the match turned into a vaudeville of full tosses and slogged sixes, the morning session provided some of the most compelling theatre of even this wonderful series. It centred on Ben Stokes and his relationship with pain. It is an interesting correspondence that these two share. Sometimes, it almost feels as if they are friends, as if Stokes welcomes pain as just another thing for him to overcome, something to make him feel worthy of this gift that he has been given, and of his father, Ged. It became evident from the first ball he bowled that the England captain was carrying an injury to his biceps tendon in his right arm. He clutched at it after every delivery but he would not submit to it. He ran in time after time after time, over after over, long after the toll he was exacting on his body began to make many in the ground feel uneasy. And even though he was clearly in agony, he was still England's best bowler on a day that was to end in disappointment and anticlimax. Only he, and briefly Jofra Archer, caused India any real discomfort. Only he extracted enough life out of redoubtably flat pitch to suggest that England might yet force the win that would have clinched the series. One of the things that makes Stokes such an inspiring leader and the most charismatic character in English sport is that his career appears to be guided by the principle of sacrifice of self in the service of the team. If that means staring down pain, in refusing to submit to it, then so be it. Some of it is learned behaviour. His late father, Ged, an indomitable rugby league player, was a famously courageous player who, to less formidable human beings, was almost comically resistant to physical discomfort. The most celebrated example of his defiance was an injury he sustained to his finger in a match in his native New Zealand in 1982. 'I thought to myself, "I don't really want to come off for a dislocated finger",' he said later, 'so I put it back in myself — and broke it. I spent the year playing in England with it strapped up. When I came back, I had to get my knee cartilage trimmed, so I got my finger off at the same time.' Ged later accepted that spending a season in England with a finger permanently pointing straight ahead was cumbersome'. The England captain paid an affectionate tribute to his dad when he reached his century here on Saturday, looking to the sky and folding his middle finger under his palm to imitate the effect of his father's amputated digit. It has been his favoured celebration since before Ged passed away in 2020. But he pays tribute to his father every time he plays because of the manner in which he plays, because of the courage with which he plays, because of the way that his first thought is for the team not for individual successes or, indeed, his own wellbeing. Only Stokes, only an injured Stokes, ever looked like denying India a famous draw. He bowled his heart out for eight overs in succession in his morning spell, sacrificing himself with the old ball to keep his strike bowlers fresh for the new ball, which was due 17 overs into the day. From Stokes's first over, when Shubman Gill survived a loud appeal for lbw, and played and missed twice, the England captain, who is this series' leading wicket taker, looked like the most dangerous component of the attack. Stokes nearly claimed Gill's wicket in his second over when the India captain lofted a shot to extra cover. Ollie Pope leapt to try to catch it and got both hands to it at the top of his leap but the ball was just too high and it spilled from his fingers. After the match, Stokes admitted he had been in agony — but insisted 'pain is just an emotion' and said he was unlikely to miss the Oval Test It was not long before Stokes finally broke India's 188 third-wicket partnership by trapping KL Rahul lbw by rapping him on the pad of his back leg. Rahul was plum and Stokes did not even bother turning to look at the umpire as he ran towards the slips celebrating. By now, Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings, appeared to be in considerable pain. He grabbed at his shoulder after every delivery, wincing and trying to massage the joint with his left hand. When he was fielding in the covers, he let his right hand hang loose by his side to try to get some relief. Soon, it became obvious he could not field with his right hand after a delivery. But still he did not seek release. The first ball of his fifth over reared up off the pitch and hit Gill on the glove and then smashed into his helmet. Gill leapt away from the crease, shaking his hand. The Indians were not strangers to pain in this Test, either. Rishabh Pant batted with a broken foot earlier in the match. Stokes bowled on. The drinks break came and went and he resumed from the Sir James Anderson End. Some worried that it was madness, that he might be risking the kind of injury that would stop him travelling to Australia for the Ashes this winter and appearing at the Oval for the fifth Test this week. But Stokes does not think like that. 'The likelihood of me not appearing at the Oval is very unlikely,' he said after the game. Pain is just another adversary to be conquered. He only yielded when the new ball was due, his job and his duty done. 'How are you feeling physically?' Stokes was asked after the match. 'Been better,' he said with a grin. 'I said a few times to the guys out there, "Pain is just an emotion".'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
India's Pant to miss fifth test against England with fractured foot
MANCHESTER, England, July 27 (Reuters) - India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant will miss the fifth test against England at the Oval due to a fractured foot, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Sunday. Pant retired hurt in India's first innings of the fourth test in Manchester, but re-emerged on day two, limping back onto the field to great applause from the Old Trafford crowd. Pant did not keep wicket in England's innings and was not needed to bat as India dug in to earn a hardfought draw and deny the hosts victory in Manchester. "The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor his progress and the team wishes him a speedy recovery," a BCCI statement said. "The Men's Selection Committee has named Narayan Jagadeesan as replacement for Rishabh Pant for the fifth test." Pant's fifty on day two, his third of the series in addition to centuries in each innings of the first test, took his run total to 479. He also passed former England captain Alec Stewart as the highest-scoring wicketkeeper in a single test series in England.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The shock secret soapie flings you DID NOT know about - including 'hours of passion' between Heath Ledger and Kate Ritchie
The Aussie TV industry may be small, but it's had its fair share of romantic interludes over the years. Yes, Neighbours' Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan got their airtime in the pages, as did her sister Dannii Minogue and the late Julian McMahon after sparks flew in Home and Away. But what about the rest? Turns out, there is an underground archive of soap stars that slipped into the sheets together and slipped off the tabloid radar without anyone noticing. From Neighbours actors that got too neighbourly to Home and Away stars that couldn't leave their feelings in Summer Bay, the TV circuit proves to be a hotbed of hedonism. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Heath Ledger and Kate Ritchie (Home and Away) It seems Heath Ledger and Kate Ritchie's on-screen romance spilled into reality after the Gold Logie winner made a telling comment about her time acting alongside the late star. Heath, who played bad boy Scott Irwin, and Kate, who played Sally Fletcher, were love interests on the show, both being around 17 at the time. In 2018, Kate sat down for an interview to celebrate 30 years of the hit soap and shed light on her relationship with the Hollywood star. 'Heath was very good looking, very charming,' she said in the trailer. 'There were a few hours of teenage passion.' While the pair never confirmed a relationship or tryst of any kind, Kate did go on to say that she was 'the envy of all the girls on set' as she got to lock lips with hunky Heath multiple times on the show. Tragically, Heath was found dead at a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after an accidental overdose, following months of physical and emotional exhaustion. Axle Whitehead and Samara Weaving (Home and Away) Life imitated art for Axle Whitehead and Samara Weaving, who announced their relationship while their fictional romance blossomed on screens. Axle, who played Liam Murphy, and Samara, who played Indi Walker, reportedly dated briefly in July 2012. However, the alliance was over quicker than it started, with both the stars spotted cuddling up with other people in August that year. Axle was snapped with a beautiful brunette at a Surry Hills bar and Samara was seen getting close to her new man in Sydney's inner west, according to Nine Honey. The split appeared sugary sweet, with Axle claiming that they remained good friends with a lot of respect for each other. Samara soon turned her sights to Hollywood, starring in blockbusters Ready or Not, Babylon and Borderline. Axle, on the other hand, spends his time playing music gigs at small venues across Sydney and selling his used music equipment on Instagram. Lincoln Lewis and Indiana Evans (Home and Away) Did you know that Lincoln Lewis and Indiana Evans were an item? These Home and Away lovebirds also enjoyed a brief stint of dating, but called a time out on their romance in 2008 after just a few months together. However, their short-lived romance became the talk of the town in 2009 after Lincoln confessed that he had filmed a sex tape the year prior and showed it to his castmates. At the time, The Daily Telegraph reported that the clip featured a 'teenage TV starlet'. Daily Mail is not suggesting that Indiana was involved in the alleged scandal. 'You do stupid things when you are young,' he told the publication in 2010. 'But you learn from your mistakes, that's part of growing up — this mistake, and what I have learnt, will contribute a lot to making me a better person in the future.' Stefan Dennis and Gayle Blakeney (Neighbours) Before Stefan Dennis and Gail Easdale lived happily ever after, there was a Gayle of another kind on the scene - and the screen. Gayle Blakeney, who played Christina Alessi on the show, dated the longtime Neighbours star between 1990 and 1992. And while their characters wed on the show, the pair didn't make it to the altar in real-life, instead parting amicably and Stefan moving on to another Neighbours castmate... Stefan Dennis and Natalie Imbruglia (Neighbours) It seems Stefan was quite the fan of the Neighbours watering hole, for pretty quickly he was embroiled in a secret romance with another one of his co-stars Natalie Imbruglia. Natalie, who went on to enjoy a successful music career with hits such as Torn and Big Mistake, first appeared on the beloved soapie in 1992 as Beth Brennan. Stefan revealed that the pair struck up a relationship after sparks flew on set, leading to his reputation among the cast as a ladies' man. 'Because of my relationship with Gayle and later, in a well-kept secret, I was also going out with Natalie Imbruglia, there was a rumour that I was making my way through the female cast,' he told Stellar in 2022. The revelation was a shock, not only because it slid under the tabloids' radar, but because Stefan was 17 years her senior. Beau Brady and Bec Hewitt (Home and Away) Bec Hewitt (Cartwright at the time) and Beau Brady's relationship was widely covered at the time, but the early noughties romance may have slipped your minds since it came crumbling down twenty years ago. The couple, taking their on-screen relationship off-screen, dated for four years and were hailed as Australia's soapie sweethearts. Beau even proposed, with the couple enjoying a few months engaged before Bec called off it off in 2004 and broke hearts across the country. In the ultimate plot twist, Bec moved into WAG territory the following year, dating tennis star Lleyton Hewitt for six weeks before getting engaged in 2005 and then married. The pair have now been playing the tennis game that is marriage for 20 years. Speaking with Woman's Day magazine in 2010, Beau broke his silence on their split and also made some shock claims about the fallout of their relationship. 'I'm only speculating, but in the end I'm still not really sure why Bec broke it off. Maybe it was because I didn't own a Ferrari!' he told the mag. Beau also claimed that Bec started texting and calling Lleyton while they were together and that she disappeared for more than a week before dumping him. 'I thought there was nothing to it because - let's face it - I'm a much better looking dude than Lleyton,' he added. Sigh... There's nothing worse than when your former tennis partner starts calling fouls.
