Cricket WAG Dani Willis has lifted the lid on the glamourous lifestyle she shares with Australian cricket star Steve Smith in New York City – as she revealed the couple have an incredible seven properties in their real estate portfolio.
Willis, a 33-year-old lawyer, Pilates instructor and interior designer, married Smith in 2018 – more than a year after he got down on one knee and proposed to her in New York atop the city’s famous Rockefeller Center.
The couple decided to buy an apartment in New York in 2022, and they have been lapping up life in the Big Apple ever since.
‘Steve and I have always loved New York and we first looked at buying a place over there in 2017,’ Willis told News Corp.
‘And then we weren’t in any hurry, we just wanted to buy the right place.
‘It’s just the energy drew us to New York and then you have the added benefits of just being able to go about life.
Dani Willis has opened up on moving to the Big Apple with husband and former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith (pictured together in New York City)
The couple love NYC so much that they decided to buy an apartment there in 2022
‘Australia is always home. When you touch down or come back you’ve had a whole life here, so Australia is always inherently home but New York is just our base now.’
The couple feel very much at home in the famous metropolis and have often posted about their experiences there on social media over the years.
Smith spent a good deal of time laying low with Willis in New York in the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
‘It’s such an incredible atmosphere in New York, it’s the melting pot of so many different people all crammed into this tiny little island all crammed on top of one another,’ Willis said.
‘After you’ve been there for a while you get immune to the craziness of it and nothing really shocks you anymore.’
Smith’s struggles with the bat over the last year have been well documented, so Willis was extremely proud of his gutsy ton against India at the Gabba last week.
His last unbeaten century had come midway through 2023 at Lord’s against England when he notched up 110.
‘I think you saw the determination on his face when he celebrated his 100,’ she said.
Smith proposed to Willis on top of the famous Rockefeller Centre in NYC
The couple fell for the city in 2017 and often share their love of the world-famous metropolis on social media (pictured)
Smith spent time in NYC as he copped a barrage of intense criticism after the infamous Sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal
‘That shows you he still very much has a passion for playing for Australia and scoring hundreds. He’s always lived and breathed it.’
There has been speculation over the last 12 months about the champion batter retiring, but Willis says the couple try not to look too far ahead.
‘We always like to live in the moment and I think that’s really important because we’ve been doing this for a very long time now,’ Willis said.
‘You deal with the here and now or whatever the next tour is that you have coming up. You try not to look too far into the future, you try to take it day by day and tour by tour.
‘If you’re worrying about some tour that is in six months’ time, how can you be fully present and give your best now? We’ve always just tried to do things in the moment.’
Australia and India are locked at 1-1 ahead of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
