Ben Stokes is among cricket’s all-time greats — a two-time World Cup winner and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
While Ben is often in the spotlight because of his glittering cricketing career, he tends to keep his family life private.
The 33-year-old England captain lives in Castle Eden in County Durham with his wife Clare and their two children Layton and Libby.
But he publically announced today that masked raiders broke into his home on October 17 when his wife and two children were there, taking ‘irreplaceable items’ including jewellery, an engraved ring and his OBE medal.
Stokes was in Pakistan at the time for the Test series.
He said his family did not come to ‘any physical harm’ in the raid but that it has understandably had an impact on their ’emotional and mental state’.
Now, MailOnline has taken a look at the life Ben has created with his wife, as he thanks police for their ‘outstanding’ support for his family after the incident.
Clare, who has been married to Ben since 2017, has supported her husband on his ascent to the top of his game.
Ben Stokes lives in Castle Eden in County Durham with his wife Clare (pictured) and their two children Layton and Libby
Ben Stokes with his OBE for services to cricket – the medal was stolen by thieves in a raid on his home on October 17, Stokes said
The pair first got together in 2010 and announced their engagement in 2013 in their local Somerset paper at the time.
Their wedding was held at St Mary the Virgin church in East Brent, near to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
A long list of Ben’s cricket teammates attended including Stuart Broad, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Alastair Cook.
The Sun reported in 2023 that Clare was studying for her PGCE in teacher training while Ben was playing cricket up in Durham in the early days of their relationship.
According to the couple’s social media, the family-of-four have two dogs called Shelby and Sampson.
Ben became a father at just 21-years-old and told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘It has changed me being a dad because when you have a baby and you’re only 22, that brings a lot of responsibility with it.
‘I still think I am a bit of a lad but there were just a few things in my life that needed a bit of attention and I’ve attended to them now.’
Ben hit the headlines in 2017 when he was arrested after being involved in a fight near Mbargo nightclub, in Bristol, at which his teammate Alex Hales was also present.
The incident led to both players not being picked for the Ashes tour.
England cricketer Ben Stokes and his wife Clare (pictured leaving Bristol Crown Court) during his trial in 2018 for affray, in which he was acquitted
Ben Stokes and his wife Clare seen at The Corinthia Hotel arriving back after the 50th NatWest PCA Awards after he won Player of the Year
Stokes told police that he ‘stepped in’ to defend two gay men who were being verbally abused but then had to defend himself from two men who were threatening violence.
In January 2018, Stokes was charged with affray but was later acquitted after a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Ben said at the time: ‘Quite a lot happened throughout that whole time. I missed the Ashes, lost the vice-captaincy. I’ve sometimes said to myself if I’d just let it all happen and walked on, I wouldn’t be here, it wouldn’t have happened. But I probably would never have forgiven myself for walking past something like that.’
In July 2021, Stokes took a five-month break from cricket to prioritise his mental health, suffering from panic attacks and anxiety after bottling up his emotions for years.
The England and Durham all-rounder featured in an Amazon Prime Video documentary in 2022 which explored his mental health struggles.
‘I never thought that I would feel like I do now,’ Stokes told Mendes in an interview conducted during the cricketer’s recovery.
Ben and Clare first got together in 2010 and announced their engagement in 2013 in their local Somerset paper at the time – they are pictured here outside Bristol Crown Court in 2018
Ben (pictured during a practice session in Pakistan on October 23) became a father aged just 21
‘My anxiety has gone through the roof. You are sat on the toilet in your hotel room and you are having a massive panic attack.’
The film crew captured Stokes’ most personal and challenging moments, including his final visit to see his terminally ill father, Ged, in New Zealand. His dad died in December 2020 from brain cancer.
In a statement today, Ben said: ‘On the evening of Thursday 17th October a number of masked people burgled my home in the Castle Eden area in the North East.
‘They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and a good deal of personal items. Many of those items have real sentimental value for me and my family. They are irreplaceable.
‘This is an appeal for any help in finding these people who carried out this act.
‘By far the worst thing about this crime is that it was carried out whilst my wife and 2 young children were in the house. Thankfully, none of my family came to any physical harm.
‘Understandably, however, the experience has had an impact on their emotional and mental state. All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been.
‘I am releasing photographs of some of the stolen items – which I hope may be easily identified – in the hope that we can find the people who are responsible for this.
‘Although we have lost cherished possessions, to be clear, my sole motivation in sharing these photographs is not the recovery of material items. It is to catch the people who did this.
‘Please come forward and contact Durham Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference CRI00575927 if you think that you have any relevant information.
‘Finally, I want to say thank you to the police service. Both now and whilst I was away in Pakistan, their support for my family has been outstanding. They continue to work incredibly hard in trying to find these people.’