Brett Lee clears the air on dating rumors with Preity Zinta

Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee finally broke his silence, putting an end to years of persistent rumors surrounding his alleged romance with Bollywood actress Preity Zinta.

In an interview with Bombay Times, the cricketer said, “Here’s your scoop – I never dated a Bollywood actress”. Whilst referring to actress Preity, he noted, “Preity Zinta and I were, and still are, great friends. She was the boss of the Punjab team back then. She’s an incredibly smart woman, and I have a lot of respect for her. Stories like that never bothered me because I always knew the truth. People can speculate all they want, but I never let it affect me.”

The Soldier actor addressed it back then, through a post on X, “I think being romantically linked to Brett every year is outdated and stale news now! So sorry to say folks NO NEWS here! FRIENDS yeesss.”

Brett married Elizabeth Kemp in 2006; they had a son, and separated after two years before formally divorcing in 2009. He married Lana Anderson in 2014, and they have two children. Around the same period, the Veer Zara actress also faced constant rumours about her relationship with Ness Wadia, the other Punjab Kings co-owner. She eventually married Gene Goodenough in 2016 and had twins via surrogacy in 2021.

Preity was last seen in 2018’s Welcome to New York and Bhaiaji Superhit, and now has Batwara 1947 and Vibe lined up.

The rumours had picked up steam between 2008 and 2011, when Brett played for Kings XI Punjab, the team the 51-year-old co-owned. Speculation grew further after they were spotted together at a Mumbai restaurant.