Stuart Broad has spoken about the crucial outing that proved he and Mollie King were meant for each other.
The couple, who are now parents to daughter Annabella, had an on-off relationship for several years after meeting in 2012.
With Mollie, 36, a member of pop group The Saturdays, and Stuart, 37, who plays cricket, the sportswoman told how they both put their careers first in the early days of their romance.
They briefly separated and struggled to maintain contact before getting back together in 2018 and heading off on a trip to Paris.
Stuart was due to undertake another tour of New Zealand and feared the distance would separate him and Mollie once again.
Couple: Stuart Broad has spoken about the crucial journey that proved he and Mollie King were meant for each other
Family: The couple, who are now parents to daughter Annabella, had an on-off relationship for several years after meeting in 2012
So the two traveled to the French capital for a few days to decide whether they wanted to commit to the relationship.
In his book Broadly Speaking, Stuart writes: “It felt like we needed to spend a few nights and some time together to discuss whether we could make things work, two days after I got back from New Zealand was, even though I…” Fearful of jet lag, we sat on the train to Paris.
“We walked the streets, sat and drank coffee, anything we could do in London. But somewhere else.”
Stuart and Mollie got engaged on New Year’s Day 2021 and their daughter Annabella was born in November 2022.
Tragically, Mollie’s father Steve died of cancer less than two weeks after Annabella’s birth.
Stuart described it as an “incredibly emotional” time for Mollie, but said she was glad her father met his granddaughter before he died.
The cricketer also told how Mollie made him retire from the sport in July just because he wanted to spend more time with her and their daughter.
He writes: “Perhaps subconsciously I was influenced by the fact that I had hardly seen Mollie and Annabella in the previous two months. “You definitely miss home because you have a little daughter who changes every day.”
Relationship: They briefly separated and struggled to maintain contact before meeting again in 2018 and heading off on a trip to Paris
Happy: Mollie proudly supported Stuart after he ended his legendary cricket career with a 2-2 draw in the Ashes series on Monday
Mollie proudly supported Stuart after he ended his legendary career with a 2-2 draw in the Ashes series in July.
He will now join the Sky Sports commentary team after a 17-year career in which he became England’s second most successful Test bowler overall.
Mollie congratulated him on Instagram and wrote: “What a moment @stuartbroad – your final Test!” My darling, you have brought joy to so many cricket fans around the world and especially your family.
“We loved every minute of cheering for you and we are so incredibly proud of you.”
“Seeing you achieve your dream is something I will never forget.” Annabella and I will be cheering you and the team on as always today. We love you so much.’