Shane Warne diet: what was cricketer’s 14-day liquid detox diet - and what was the cause of his death?

The death of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne at the age of just 52 shocked the cricket world.

An iconic spin bowler, Warne was famous for bowling the ‘ball of the century’ and ranks as the second-highest wicket taker of all time.

Cricket stars and other celebrities from across the sporting spectrum paid tribute to the man many have described as one of the greatest to have ever played the game.

Since his death, it has emerged Warne was following a strict liquid diet in the run up to his fatal heart attack.

So what exactly was this liquid diet - and did it increase his risk of heart attack?

What happened to Shane Warne?

Shane Warne was holidaying with friends on Thailand’s Koh Samui island when he died on Friday 4 March.

The 52-year-old cricket legend was found unresponsive in his room at the luxury Samujana Villa resort at around 5pm local time (11am UK time).

It is suspected that he had suffered a fatal heart attack.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Warne had visited a doctor about his heart in the weeks leading up to his death and was also said to have been struggling with chest pains and sweats in the week before his passing.

Just hours before he died, Warne had paid tribute to fellow former Australian cricket star Rod Marsh who had himself died of a heart attack aged 74.

Local police said he had also received a massage and ordered a new suit on the day of his passing.

According to an autopsy report published on Monday (7 March), Warne died of natural causes.

News agency Reuters reported the post mortem examination had revealed the cricketer died of a "congenital disease".

It also revealed he did not have a Covid-19 infection at the time of his death and ruled out foul play.

Warne had recently battled a Covid infection and is also understood to have been a lifelong heavy smoker.

What diet was Shane Warne following before he died?

Shane Warne was known to have struggled with his weight throughout his life and had previously followed extreme diets.

According to comments from his manager James Erskine reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, the cricketing icon had finished a “ridiculous” 14-day liquid crash diet in the days before his death.

This diet had seen him avoid all solids and had been one he had completed a few times before.

In a Tweet from 28 February, he wrote that he had started “operation shred” in a bid to make himself look leaner by July.

Australian medical expert Professor Garry Jennings said a liquid diet could put extra strain on the heart in some circumstances.

“Mostly, these risks are on top of an underlying heart problem — they don’t come out of the blue. I doubt they could cause a heart problem just by themselves,” he said.

“Basically, if your metabolism, your handling of fluids, salt and other electrolytes gets completely out of whack, if you have a small heart attack, you’re more likely for that to turn into something serious with a rhythm disorder.”

As the recent roll-out of the NHS soup and shake diet shows, a liquid diet can be an effective way of losing weight.

However, leading dietitian Priya Tew has previously told NationalWorld that these diets should only be followed with proper medical advice and support.

The NHS says low-calorie diets, including liquid diets, are “not suitable for most people” and are not a long-term weight management strategy.

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