Clare has denied Stokes grabbed her but said the pictures were twisted into a 'crazy story'. Photo / BackGrid
Clare has denied Stokes grabbed her but said the pictures were twisted into a 'crazy story'. Photo / BackGrid
Cricket's former bad boy turned England hero Ben Stokes has lashed out at photographers who allege he was violent towards his wife at an awards dinner last Wednesday.
The photo shows Stokes with his hand around wife Clare's face at the Roundhouse in Camden, where the all-rounder had just won the Players' Player of the Year award.
The image shows Stokes' left hand grasped around his wife's neck with his fingers over her jaw and cheek.
She is seen attempting to pull away from Stokes' hand, while her right hand is clenched around his left wrist.
Stokes has since spoken out, releasing a statement saying domestic violence is "not a topic to mess with" and labelling UK media "irresponsible".
"I have become used to people making stuff up about me, but of all the topics not to mess with domestic abuse has to be at the top of the list," he told The Mirror.
"It's an incredibly serious issue for thousands of women – and men – who do suffer domestic abuse.
"For it to be toyed with for cheap headlines in this way just damages the cause of those who are abused.
"We both had a great night at the PCA Awards, ending with us dining out at McDonald's together.
"Clare is a strong, independent woman who can speak for herself.
"We have a wonderful relationship and I never tire of saying how lucky I am to be with her.
"To falsify and spread these kind of allegations so willingly is totally irresponsible.
"The way that this has come across is so far removed from what it was.
"It was a stressful 45 minutes for us when we found out, but we wanted to address it as quickly as we could."
Clare has denied Stokes grabbed her but said the pictures were twisted into a 'crazy story'. Photo / BackGrid
Last night, Clare Stokes tried to laugh off the photographs – insisting the couple's antics were just a way of showing affection.
She dismissed suggestions it was a chokehold as "unbelievable nonsense" and described the incident as "me and Ben messing about squishing up each other's faces".
She added: "Cos that's how we show affection". She accused photographers of "twisting" it into a "crazy story".
Her defiant message, posted on Twitter, was accompanied by a photo of her playfully squishing her husband's cheeks. She added that, 20 minutes after the snaps were taken, the pair had "a romantic McDonald's" together.
After the photos were posted on the Guido Fawkes website yesterday afternoon, cricket chiefs described them as "innocent".
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison said: "We have spoken with both Clare and Ben – as well as others in attendance – who have all clarified the innocent context behind the still photographs taken at last week's PCA Awards.
"Whilst it is not the case here, we recognise that for the millions who are impacted by domestic violence, this is a very real and serious issue."
On Twitter last night, Clare Stokes went on to post how her husband had arranged a surprise 30th birthday party for her last weekend – two days after the face incident.
Unbelievable what nonsense these people will make up! Me and Ben messing about squishing up each other’s faces cos that’s how we show affection and some pap tries to twist it in to a crazy story! And all before we then have a romantic McDonalds 20 mins later! @benstokes38pic.twitter.com/1HmPV1ZfxG
She also shared a photo of the couple posing on the red carpet, and Stokes himself later retweeted his wife's message, alongside a kissing emoji.
The face incident happened at 2.01am as the party was winding down. A short while earlier, the couple appeared to be having a row in an area where they could have been seen by many people.
The images were taken by a photographer standing on the pavement outside the Roundhouse, which has a glass-walled atrium.
England cricketer Ben Stokes and his wife Clare leaving Bristol Crown Court where he has been found not guilty of affray following a brawl. Photo / Getty
Stokes was seen reaching out his left hand to his wife's face. It happened in front of Hattie Jackson, the fiancee of the England cricket team's press officer, who had been dancing with the pair.
Last night she told friends that she could not recall seeing anything untoward.
The exact circumstances remain unclear. It happened about 40 minutes after another incident in which Clare Stokes appeared to be touched by a man as she posed for a group photo. It is not known if the two incidents were linked.
A witness told the Mail: "Stokes was at the bar and he shared a tender kiss with his wife, and they looked very much in love.
"A short while later they were in a group taking a selfie and someone had his arm around Stokes' wife and he must have somehow managed to touch her because she suddenly pulled away and gave him an angry look... Ben Stokes did not see this but later his wife seemed upset and seemed to be telling him about what had happened.
"About half an hour later they were standing in the atrium area and his wife took off one of her shoes. They were talking and that is when he put his hand up to her face. She grabbed his wrist. I couldn't see his face so I don't know if he was being playful or what."
Stokes is heavy favourite to be voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and has even been tipped for a knighthood after his heroics on the field this summer.
At last week's ceremony he was awarded the Reg Hayter Cup for player of the year.
His heroics this summer marked a turnaround in his fortunes less than 12 months after he was put on trial for affray after a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017, but he was found not guilty.
