Michael Clarke and Jade Yarbrough had been trying to mend their relationship before a family dinner turned into a heated exchange when it emerged that instead of the public brawl, the two are “devastated”.
The cricketer is said to have ‘black and blue’ sworn he was spending time apart from the younger sister of Jasmine Yarbrough, wife of TV star Karl Stefanovic, when he was reportedly dating ex-girlfriend Pip Edwards on December 17.
Sources close to the couple told the Daily Telegraph they took a break when Clarke was allegedly spending time with his ex-fashion designer.
However, Edwards was reportedly shocked to see photos of Clarke and Jade on a reunion holiday in the popular city of Queensland just weeks later.
Days before the pair exchanged profanity in a wild brawl just meters from a posh Noosa restaurant, they had been trying to mend their relationship.
In lieu of the fiery screaming match, Yarbrough is said to be “distraught and embarrassed” as she lays down in Brisbane while Clarke is “devastated”.
A source close to the cricket star says he is concerned about “the way Jade is being portrayed” after footage of the hand-to-hand combat circulated on social media.
“He’s devastated that he put her in this position,” the source said.
On January 7, Michael Clarke and Jade Yarbrough hit the beach and looked happy and relaxed as they swapped jokes and poked fun at each other by the water
The location of the couples’ dinner at classic Noosa Waterfront Italian restaurant and then the fight that broke out in the adjacent Lions Park BBQ area
The couple had stayed with Anthony Bell, a multi-millionaire accountant, in his $10 million mansion in Noosaville, a stone’s throw from the sea.
On January 7, the couple hit the beach and appeared happy and relaxed as they exchanged jokes and poked fun at each other by the water.
It is understood Yarbrough may then have exchanged text messages or spoken to Edwards after seeing a text on her boyfriend’s phone.
Cracks began to show on January 8 when the couple pictured looked strained as they sat in lounge chairs at Bell’s mansion while Clarke held his girlfriend’s hand.
Tensions ran high as a clearly annoyed looking Yarbrough pushed the cricketer and commentator away as he followed her out of the expansive pool area.
Michael Clarke (second right front in black shirt) with New Year’s Day revelers at the Bondi Icebergs which he was due to attend with Yarbrough who was in Aspen instead
Jade Yarbrough and Michael Clarke (above at a Louis Vuitton launch last November) had been working on their relationship in Noosa before tensions escalated in a public park brawl
Tensions reached an all-time high on January 10 when the couple were joined by Jasmine, Stefanovic and their host Bell at the Noosa Waterfront Restaurant & Bar.
Sources say the night escalated after the group enjoyed a round of drinks.
“They’d only had one glass of wine each, so talk of a wild night isn’t true. They had just arrived at the restaurant and were sitting down when it happened,” a source claimed.
The argument broke out around 9.30pm, reportedly over recent text messages between Clarke and Edwards and allegations that he cheated on Yarbrough with the fashion designer less than a month ago.
The dramatic footage shows a shirtless Clarke being yelled at and hit by his hysterical girlfriend while others in the group try to defuse the commotion.
Clarke hobbles in a park surrounded by a group trying to calm the situation while an angry Yarbrough yells at him and then punches him in the face.
Michael Clarke and Pip Edwards (pictured) had an on-going romance for two years before he joined Jade Yarbrough
Jade and Michael stayed at famed accountant Anthony Bell’s (above) $10 million Noosaville mansion, which features a private sandy beach, 150-foot frontage and a solar-heated infinity pool
The former cricketer, who reportedly injured a hamstring during the incident, struggled to keep up with Yarbrough as she ran around angrily.
‘Am I wrong? I’m damn wrong! You are a fucking liar. i can see everything You called her,” Yarbrough yells.
Clarke tries to reassure his girlfriend that he hasn’t cheated on her and swears on his young daughter’s life that he was with Bell on the night in question last month.
“Baby, you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” he insists.
‘Baby, baby, Belly was in the house. I swear on my life, I swear on my life… that’s not true, that’s not true.”
But Yarbrough doesn’t believe his protests and claims she spoke to Pip.
“You’re fucking lying to me. You are a piece of shit. I just spoke to her. What’s wrong with you?’ She screams.
He replies: ‘It’s not true, it’s not true.’
Edwards (pictured with Clarke) has distanced himself from the sage, saying: ‘It’s not my circus’
Jasmine finally enters, grabs her distraught sister’s arm and takes her away while Clarke turns his attention to Stefanovic.
“Karlos, I can tell you now, c**t, don’t the fuck go away. She can, she can hit me, but you, motherfucker,” says Clarke.
In a statement to the Daily Telegraph, Clarke said he was “absolutely disappointed that I have held in the highest regard the people I value in this position”.
“My actions leading up to this altercation were downright shameful and regrettable,” he continued.
“I’m shocked that my actions have drawn women of class and integrity and my buddies into this situation.
“I totally own this and am the only one to blame.”
Edwards has distanced himself from the saga, saying “It’s not my circus”.
In a statement to the Daily Telegraph, Clarke (pictured with Pip Edwards) said he was “absolutely disappointed that I have had the highest regard for people I value in this position”.
MICHAEL CLARKE’S SHIRTLESS MELTDOWN – LINE BY LINE
Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke died after a night out with famed accountant Anthony Bell in Noosa on March 10.
This is how the spit unfolded:
Clarke: Honey…
Jade: Am I wrong? Am I fucking wrong? You damn liar. I saw everything, you called her
Clarke: I swear on my life. Baby, baby, belly [Anthony Bell] was at my house. do it to me, do it to me Belly was in the house. Belly was at my house
Clarke: I swear on my life, I swear on my life. You can do it to me, you can do it to me
Jade: You told her… You fucking king keep lying to me
Clarke: No, on my daughter’s life, on my daughter’s life
Jade: You keep lying. You are a piece of shit
Jade: I just spoke to her. What’s wrong with you?
Clarke: No, I didn’t. honey you know what you can hit me, you can hit me
Jade: You fucked her on December 17th
Clarke: That’s not true. That is not true.
Jasmin: Go away with Karl, go with Karl
Jade: I fucking hate you
Clarke: Jade, it’s not fucking true
Clarke: Carlos [Stefanovic], I can tell you now c**t, don’t the fuck go away. She can hit me, but you, you cunt
Jade: You piece of shit
Clarke: Go on, hit me, hit me
Bell: Stop it, stop it.
Clarke: Do it again, do it again. You’re wrong, you’re wrong
Jade: Oh, am I fucking wrong? you fucked her [Clarke’s ex Pip Edwards] on December 17th
Clarke: No, I didn’t
Jade: You fucked her. You hit her, you damn dog. I’m about to get every fucking message you’ve ever sent her.
Jade: You want to send her to India? Do you want to send her to India with you?
Jade: [Quoting a message] “You are the love of my life Pip come to India
Clarke: Don’t ever talk to me again
Jasmine: Stop Jade, stop it
Bell: Let it go, Jade