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<\/p>\nStuart Broad has discussed the make or break trip that proved he and Mollie King were meant to be together.<\/p>\n
The couple, who are now parents to daughter Annabella, were in an on-off relationship for several years after meeting in 2012.<\/p>\n
With Mollie, 36, a member of pop group The Saturdays and Stuart, 37, playing cricket, the athlete told how they both put their careers first in the early days of their romance.<\/p>\n
They briefly split up and struggled to keep in touch before reuniting in 2018 and jetting off on a make or break trip to Paris.<\/p>\n
Stuart was due to go on another tour of New Zealand and worried the distance would keep him and Mollie apart once more.<\/p>\n
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Couple:\u00a0Stuart Broad has discussed the make or break trip that proved he and Mollie King were meant to be together<\/p>\n
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Family: The couple, who are now parents to daughter Annabella, were in an on-off relationship for several years after meeting in 2012<\/p>\n
So the pair went to the French capital for a few days to decide whether they wanted to commit to the relationship.<\/p>\n
In his book Broadly Speaking, Stuart writes:\u00a0‘It felt like we needed to have a couple of nights and some time together to make a call on whether we could make things work, so two days after I got back from New Zealand, despite being worried about the jet lag, we were on the train to Paris.<\/p>\n
‘We walked around the streets, sat and drank coffee, everything we could do in London. But somewhere else.’<\/p>\n
Stuart and Mollie got engaged on New Year’s Day 2021 and their daughter Annabella was born in November 2022.<\/p>\n
Tragically, Mollie’s father Steve died of cancer less than two weeks after Annabella was born.<\/p>\n
Stuart described it as an ‘unbelievably emotional’ time for Mollie but said she was glad her father got to meet his granddaughter before he passed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cricketer also told how Mollie influenced him to retire from the sport in July simply because he wanted to spend more time with her and their daughter.<\/p>\n
He writes: ‘Perhaps subconsciously, the fact I had barely seen Mollie and Annabella for the two previous months swayed me. It definitely makes you miss home, having a little daughter who is changing every day.’<\/p>\n
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Relationship:\u00a0They briefly split up and struggled to keep in touch before reunting in 2018 and jetting off on a make or break trip to Paris<\/p>\n
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Happy:\u00a0Mollie proudly supported Stuart after he finished his legendary cricket career with a 2-2 Ashes series draw on Monday<\/p>\n
Mollie\u00a0proudly supported Stuart after he finished his legendary career with a 2-2 Ashes series draw in July.<\/p>\n
Following a 17-year career that has seen him become England’s second most prolific Test bowler overall, he will now join Sky Sports’ commentary team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Congratulating him on Instagram, Mollie wrote:\u00a0‘What a moment @stuartbroad – your last test! My darling, you’ve brought joy to so many cricketing fans all over the world, and especially to your family.<\/p>\n
‘We have loved every single minute of cheering you on and we’re so incredibly proud of you.<\/p>\n
‘Watching you live out your dream has been something I will never forget. Annabella and I will be cheering you and the team on today, as always. We love you so much.’<\/p>\n