Michael Clarke on how life has changed since splitting with Kyly

Five years since retiring from cricket, and after his recent marriage breakdown to Kyly, Michael Clarke reveals how life has changed and why he’s never been happier to have a nine-to-five job. Having spent most of his life in the public eye and endured high-profile breakups, Clarke’s name has often been in the headlines. However as he prepares to enter his 40s, his priorities are crystal clear. The radio host is now entirely focused on building a strong and loving relationship with his four-year-old daughter Kelsey-Lee. “Has it been rainbows and butterflies? No! But the highs and lows have made me who I am today,” Clarke told The Sunday Telegraph. “Nothing is ever perfect, but I feel like I am in the right place. “Yes there has been a lot of lessons along the way, but I wouldn’t change anything. I think I sit here and can say 95 per cent of my life has been just an absolute dream come true.” Clarke’s most recent personal and public battle has been his separation from his wife of seven-years, Kyly, who he shares his first born daughter with. The pair announced their split in February. However despite having parted ways, it is this close relationship with Kyly which makes Clarke apprehensive to talk about his alleged new relationship with designer, Pip Edwards. When asked about rumours he is dating the P.E. Nation founder, Clarke didn’t deny the romance but wouldn’t weigh into the relationship out of respect for his family. “I have always tried to keep my personal life as private as I possibly can and right now is no different,” he said. “It is private and it is personal and I do want to be respectful to everyone who is involved. “My family, Kelsey Lee’s mum and her family. I will always be respectful.” While many families struggle to master co-parenting, Clarke believes he and ex-wife Kyly are doing the best job possible. “The one thing Kyly and I will always do is prioritise our little girl,” an emotional Clarke said. “Kyly is a great mother. When you see our little girl, you see the way Kelsey-Lee is, that’s because of her mum, there is no doubt about it.” The mutual respect the pair continue to have for one another is clear and Clarke, who last month received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division (OAM), says their relationship is as strong as ever. “I’ve had nights where KL misses her mum and wants to see her, and even though it’s a night she was to stay with me, I will drive her to Kyly’s house and she stays there and Kyly has done that in return.” It’s clear when talking to Clarke, just how hands-on he is with his daughter. The 39-year-old who played 115 Tests and 245 one-day internationals for Australia before retiring in 2015 insists he would have given up professional cricket if Kelsey-Lee had arrived when he was playing. “When KL was born, I had only just retired and I knew it at the time, and I am 100 per cent certain now, I wouldn’t have been able to travel that much with my little girl,” he said. “Two years ago, I went to India for a commentary stint and I was away from her for seven weeks and it broke me. It absolutely broke me. “But also, you have to hustle and you have to grind and have to find a way to pay the bills.” It’s a new radio gig on the Big Sports Breakfast program on Sky Sports Radio alongside rugby league great Laurie Daley which is helping ‘pay the bills’ and give him work/life balance; a gig he said couldn’t have come at a better time. “I love it so much,” he said. “It is something I never really thought about doing but is a really nice change. “It is really nice to be home and with my little girl and have structure around her. I have a 9-5 job which I haven’t had since I was 17. All my little girl craves is our time. With this job it allows me to again, give her a kiss goodnight, put her to bed, pick her up from school” “I am right where I am meant to be. My priorities are very clear to me right now.”