A cricketer’s life appears much like that of a movie star. What happens then when something as critical as a break up of his marriage is that there is the damage control aspect of media relations and this latest revelation is likely to ‘damage’ the image of the ‘brand’ that is Brett Lee.
It takes two to tango and it seems to be the case in plenty. When the news of Brett Lee’s split from wife Liz Kemp with a possible culmination in a divorce first broke out, it raged like a bushfire across Australia. After all, this was a star couple and speculation was not far behind the tragic nature of the news. While both parties to the marriage maintained a ‘dignified’ silence, allegations spilled over that Lee’s wife, Liz, was seeing a high profile rugby star although the latter denied being anything but a friend and attesting to having a girlfriend of his own and of his friendship with Lee. Media reports emanating from Australia suggested that Lee was devastated by his wife’s decision to separate. He was subsequently given time off from the Bangladesh series to regroup, casting a doubt on his availability for the tour to India.
But the latest sting comes from Liz Kemp herself. Unable to hold herself back for the unwarranted use of her son in snap shots with a visibly upset Lee in local publications over a Father Day’s news roll, Kemp is now doing what wives of stars do –hire their own public relations (PR) agency to clear the falsified allegations.
According to a heartbroken Kemp, it was not just the part of being a WAG that affected their marriage. Apparently India played a role in widening the gap between the couple. Brett Lee’s popularity in India is quite uncanny given the fact that he happens to be an Australian cricketer. With a long standing sponsorship deal with a leading watch company (that is unlikely to be affected by these statements), a singing career that includes an album with Indian crooner Asha Bhonsle, and an acting career now with the release of the movie Victory with Harman Baweja and Amrita Arora, Lee’s horizons have significantly expanding with his association with India. According to Liz, the time Lee spent away from home not just for cricket but also, his other activities really brought about the downfall of their marriage while she was home alone tending to their young son, Preston.
New stories in the Australian media now suggest that the earlier story created around the split was in an attempt to protect Australia’s golden boy’s image. While there is no question of the public taking the judicial ground in deciding who was right or wrong in the marriage, it is becoming increasingly apparent that that the cricketers face an uneasy glare of the media, much like the movie stars, and public relations become the key word in one’s international career, especially when one has much to lose, as does Brett Lee, not least of which are his marriage and family.
Also read:Brett Lee Pulls out of Bangladesh Series; Split with wife Liz cited
