Heartbroken Liz Kemp was desperately trying to save her marriage before Brett Lee demanded a separation and allegedly asked her to leave the family home.
Speaking for the first time since her high-profile marriage ended in August, Ms Kemp said she was devastated by their public break-up battle and its impact on the couple's 22-month-old son, Preston.
"The whole thing with Preston has been heartbreaking," she said.
"I'm a very private person and it's been a difficult time.
"I don't want it to turn into a mud-slinging match. Brett's the one in the limelight and I prefer to stay away from it all."
So bitter is their separation that Ms Kemp, 28, is now relying on a public relations team to help her after being portrayed as the villain in early reports which supported Lee.
She denied there was anything sinister about her regular trips to Brisbane while Lee was on tour, an issue which apparently led to the separation.
A close friend, who spoke to The Sunday Mail to tell Ms Kemp's side of the split, said contrary to some reports, she had not had an affair with a rugby player in Brisbane.
Instead, her trips to Queensland, where she grew up, were to spend time with her two bridesmaids and friends from high school.
"There is no third party involved . . . I've been speaking with Liz closely over the last few weeks and I know full well that there is nobody involved," her friend said.
Other friends also say Ms Kemp endured months of loneliness as Lee took on more and more overseas sponsorship deals on top of his international cricket career.
He has many sponsorship contracts in Australia and endorses a string of products in India. He is also involved in the Indian entertainment scene, releasing a Top 5 hit with Bollywood star Asha Bhosle and starring in the upcoming film Victory.
A long-time friend of Ms Kemp's said Lee spent only "four to five months" of the two-year marriage at home.
Despite the loneliness, Ms Kemp had been determined to save her marriage.
"She wasn't the one that walked away from the marriage," her friend said.
"It's been reported that the reason for the break-up was cricket and the (overseas travel) timetable. That's not true. There was a lot of extra sponsorship that Brett took on that kept him away longer than the cricket season.
"She always knew he was going to be away, (but) the extra time he was away was hard."
Ms Kemp, who has primary custody of Preston, has been living with her parents since leaving the home she shared with Lee in Sydney.
"It's a very upsetting and difficult time for her. Her main concern is she wants to protect her family and her privacy. She is battling through this and remaining strong," Ms Kemp's friend said. "I don't want it to come across that she is the victim. It's definitely been testing but she's coming out stronger for all of it."
While Ms Kemp and Lee are privately going through legal proceedings to determine custody and finances, their break-up is also being played out in the public eye as those close to Lee attempt to save his "brand".
Ms Kemp has not courted the spotlight during her relationship with Lee, refusing to sell photographs of her wedding or new baby to magazines and choosing to keep her personal life private.
The couple had agreed Preston would not be exploited by being brought into the media during their marriage break-up.
But their relationship became acrimonious after photographs were published of a forlorn-looking Lee and his son in time for a sympathetic and sad Father's Day story.
- SHARRI MARKSON