On Saturday, the nation was shocked to learn that great cricketer Shane Warne had died suddenly of a heart attack while vacationing with friends in Koh Samui, Thailand.
Fans and friends, ranging from Dannii Minogue to Mick Jagger, were quick to pay tribute to the Australian legend, who was adored by many not just for his amazing sporting achievements but also for his larger-than-life larrikin character, which many labeled”quintessentially Australian”.
Despite garnering headlines for his, at times, outrageous behavior over the years, the Spin King never shied away from making people laugh at his expense with cameo appearances on some of Australia’s most popular shows.
In light of Shane Warne’s terrible demise, we look back at some of the loveable larrikin’s most memorable performances on Australian television.
Neighbours
In 2006, the sporting star guest-starred on Neighbours in two episodes titled Ain’t That A Shane and The Warne Identity to help generate funds for his charity, the Shane Warne Foundation, which helped extremely ill and needy children.
Residents of Ramsay Street were even given to a demonstration of Shane’s famous spin bowl.
Kath & Kim
Warnie played Wayne Shaun, a Shane Warne imitation who marries Magda Szubanski’s character, Sharon, in a gloriously bogan wedding in a 2007 episode of Kath & Kim titled Wedding of the Century, demonstrating his predilection for not taking himself too seriously.
In one scene, the pair decide to tie the knot at Luna Park, where “Wayne” expertly bowls the wedding ring box to Sharon while explaining why he was late for their wedding.
“Was that a flipper?” Sharon asks her husband-to-be.
“Sorry I’m late, I’ve been practising at me cricket as a surprise for you, Sharon,” Wayne replies.
Sharon arrives into Kath’s house depressed towards the end of the episode, disclosing that Wayne had purchased a cellphone, a clever reference to Shane’s infamous 2005 texting controversy.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
In 2016, Warnie returned to television for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! An anaconda attacked him on the head, forcing him to confront his fear of spiders.
Speaking of the wild experience, Warne said: “It is an amazing feeling … on the one hand I am very relieved and excited that you’re out but to go six weeks and to get so close to go to that final three is sort of disappointing too.”
“It feels good to be out and I look forward to seeing the family and friends and children and everything,” he said.
He also disclosed that the strict jungle diet had resulted in a 13-pound weight loss, saying KIIS 101.1, “We might be back up by the end of the day with the pizza and beer I’m going to ingest.”
Shane
Shane Warne’s Amazon Prime documentary, simply titled Shane, was published earlier this year, providing a rare look into the merciless competitor and dedicated father.
“One of my strengths on the field is I can intimidate people,” Shane revealed in the candid documentary.
“Whether it be a word, or by a bit of silence, whether it’s to stay at the top mark and spin a ball, whether it’s to eyeball someone at the batsman at the other end, whether it was a little sledge here or there — whatever it was I was a man on a mission, I wasn’t taking any prisoners.
“Standing at the top mark with the ball in my hand and I look down at the pitch, it was my domain, it was my spot, I owned it.”
Of course, the cheeky cricketer had some amusing stories to tell about his time at the Australian Cricket Academy.
“We went on a trip to Darwin and I mooned some people out of the pool on this balcony,” Warnie said.
“I mooned them and I got sent on a trip back to Adelaide.”
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