Just over a month after Brooke Warne revealed she was set to walk down the aisle, the daughter of late cricketer Shane Warne has another reason to celebrate.
The 29-year-old and her fiance, Alex Heath, have two new arrivals in the family – puppies Winnie and Lulu.
The social media influencer took to Instagram on August 30 to share the happy news, sharing a photo of her and Alex with their bundles of fluff.
“And then there were 4 🥹🐶🩷🐶🩷,” Brooke captioned the snap simply. “Welcome to the family Winnie & Lulu.”
Now, sources tell New Idea how Shane – who died aged 52 from a suspected cardiac arrest while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand in March 2022 – influenced Brooke’s latest move.
“Brooke was absolutely the apple of Shane’s eye, everyone knows that, so it goes without saying that she always strives to honour his memory and stay true to the life lessons and he taught her – as well as the causes he embraced and the passions he shared – whenever she possibly can,” the insider shared.
“He was a staunch animal lover who adored dogs, so Brooke grew up having four legged friends from the year dot.
“She knows that he’s likely looking down from heaven and no doubt thoroughly approving of her and Alex’s decision to adopt these pups.”
The insider said that knowing she’s following in her dad’s footsteps “truly warms” Brooke’s heart.
“But at the same time it’s also bittersweet of course, since he’s not here to share this or other big milestones with her,” they add.
Brooke has previously spoken openly about how she has dealt with the loss of her beloved father.
“Grief never goes away, you deal with grief for your whole life,’’ she told the Herald Sun in May 2o26.
“You learn how to live without a part of you. It’s such a weird thing, we like to say it comes in waves, when you’re going through it it’s like the waves of the ocean.”
And while, of course, Brooke is happy to be forging her own path in life, while honouring her father’s memory, these happy moments are naturally tinged with sadness too.
“That’s just the heartbreaking reality that Brooke and the whole family have had to deal with these past several years,” the source tells New Idea.
“They miss Shane every day and it’s particularly tough when there are these family events, especially the fact he won’t be able to walk her down the aisle.
“But look, Brooke’s her father’s daughter and she’s fully aware that the last thing he’d want right now would be to see her moping or holding back on being happy – it’s the most beautiful time of her life right now and he’d want her to be celebrating that.
“So she’s staying true to that and forging her own path with the express ambition of making him proud.”
Brooke’s mum – and Shane’s ex – Simone Callahan has shared her own joy at seeing her daughter prepare for married life, describing Brooke and Alex as a “match made in Heaven”.
She also pointed to how a rainbow could be seen in one of Brooke and Alex’s engagement photos, calling it “Dad’s sign for you”, and adding that Shane would be “over the moon celebrating” the happy news.
The source tells New Idea that Brooke’s joy is “heartwarming stuff” for the rest of the family.
“Brooke’s a truly impressive character who’s flying the flag magnificently,” they explain.
“He’d be beyond proud, without any shadow of doubt.”
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