Brett Lee calls Dubai ‘safest place to be’ for families and hails Shah Rukh Khan’s epic humility in Dine With The Stars podcast

Dubai: Former Australian bowling legend Brett Lee did not run away from Dubai even when his friends in Australia where frantically calling him back home amid regional tensions.

In fact, the former fast bowling legend says the last few weeks only strengthened his belief that moving his family to the UAE was the right decision.

“Over the last 12 weeks over here, a lot of people are texting saying, ‘What’s it like? Are you running away?’ No,” Lee told me during our latest Dine With The Stars with Manjusha Radhakrishnan episode at Aura Sky Pool in Dubai.

“I’ve been so impressed by our leaders here, of all the seven emirates.”

For Lee, who relocated to Dubai with his wife Lana and children nearly a year ago, the move was never about escaping taxes or chasing another glamorous celebrity postcode. It was about lifestyle, safety and giving his children a wider worldview.

“I said, thank you for looking after us and protecting us,” he said, recalling his meeting with Dubai’s ruler during the Dubai World Cup races.

“This is the safest place to be.”

And honestly, that sincerity pretty much defined the entire lunch.

Because here’s the thing about Brett Lee — he may have once been one of cricket’s fiercest fast bowlers, but off the field, he is disarmingly warm, funny and startlingly unfiltered.

In an era where celebrities demand questionnaires in advance and PR teams monitor every sentence like hawks, Lee was refreshingly old-school.

No pre-approved questions. No “don’t ask this”. No carefully sanitised talking points. In fact, he proudly admitted he hates rehearsed conversations.

“If I'm on stage and I have to get up and do a Q and A they say, ‘We’ll send you the questions first.’ I don't want to know the questions,” Lee said.

That openness instantly made the conversation flow differently.

At one point, he even paused mid-chat to compliment my interviewing style.

“You got no notes and you’re flawless,” he laughed. “I’ve done a million interviews where people read off the script.”

Honestly? Coming from someone who has faced global media scrutiny for decades, I’ll take that compliment.

Why Dubai felt right

Lee admitted that if someone had asked him two years ago whether he would relocate to Dubai permanently, he would probably have laughed.

“We have a great life in Australia,” he said. “Amazing schools, great community, great environment, great culture.”

But something inside him wanted change.

“There was something in me that was like, we need a challenge. We need some type of different lifestyle.”

And Dubai, according to him, delivered exactly that.

“It wasn't about opportunity. It was about the lifestyle. It was about the culture, giving our children that open book to go and explore their life.”

Today, his children are learning Arabic, playing sports alongside classmates from “200 different nationalities” and growing up in an environment he says feels remarkably safe and community-driven.

“This was always the transit stepping stone,” he said of Dubai’s old reputation. “But it’s not a stepping stone anymore, and I call it home.”

The aggressive Brett Lee was partly an act

One of the most fascinating things Lee admitted was that his terrifying on-field personality was, in many ways, something he consciously created.

“Playing cricket was almost like acting,” he said. “When I walk on the cricket field, I’m a different person.”

That aggressive, intimidating Brett Lee who charged in at terrifying speeds? That was his “game face”.

“I had to be the enforcer. I had to be the aggressive person,” he explained. “Do not get my way, because I’m gonna take out anything that’s in front of me.”

It worked for decades. His notorious chainsaw celebration after taking his wicket, where this pacer would leap and cut with his legs, possibly signalling the end of the partnership or cutting the innings short, would have made for an epic reel now. He was always a part of one of the feared bowling attacks that helped the Australian juggernaut steamroll their opposition with ease.

Off the field though, he’s surprisingly introspective.

The man who once made batsmen fear for their lives now speaks passionately about wellness, longevity, mental health and music.

“I love the wellness and longevity space,” he said. “Age is just a number.”

Music saved his sanity

Lee revealed that music became his emotional escape during the brutal pressures of international cricket.

“For me, it was music,” he said while discussing mental health and coping mechanisms.

After exhausting days on tour, he would return to his hotel room, pick up a guitar and disappear into his own world.

“I would go home to my hotel room, get the guitar out, play a few songs… That just got me back into that zen.”

It’s a side of Brett Lee many fans probably never imagined.

His Bollywood story sounds completely made up — except it’s true

Long before athletes casually crossed into entertainment, Lee accidentally stumbled into Bollywood through a bizarre hotel lobby encounter in Mohali.

A music producer approached him after training and mentioned collaborating with the late legendary Indian singer Asha Bhosle.

Lee initially thought the man was joking.

Then he heard another name attached to the project: Robbie Williams.

“I said, look, I’m in,” he laughed.

Then came the truly absurd part.

Lee went upstairs and wrote what he calls “this horrendous cheesy love song” in just 18 minutes.

The track became a huge hit.

“She’s like Aretha Franklin of India,” Lee said lovingly about Bhosle.

But there’s still one regret he carries.

“She invited me to come to the Opera House in Sydney to perform our song together,” he recalled. “Never got a chance to do it live.”

Shah Rukh Khan, IPL and why bowlers are suffering

When the conversation shifted to Shah Rukh Khan, Lee became instantly animated.

“He’s not the biggest actor in Bollywood, the biggest actor period in the world,” he said.

But what impressed him most wasn’t Khan’s fame.

“You would assume that someone that’s achieved greatness would have an ego,” Lee said. “No way. Not Shah Rukh Khan. He is an absolute gentleman.”

Lee also spoke fondly about his IPL years with Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, calling cricketers part of a “brotherhood”.

But he didn’t sugarcoat how difficult modern T20 cricket has become for bowlers.

“It’s literally like a nightmare for a bowler,” he said bluntly.

Modern batsmen, he explained, are simply evolving faster than bowlers can adapt.

“You’re bowling with a wet ball on a wet surface… there’s all these variables,” he said.

Fame was never the point

Perhaps the loveliest part of the afternoon was realising how little ego Lee actually carries despite decades of fame.

Yes, he enjoys interacting with fans.

“If the day they don’t ask for a photo or autograph, you’re too old and you passed it,” he joked.

But what matters more to him now is family.

The self-made sportsman became visibly emotional while speaking about his parents and the sacrifices they made for him and his brothers.

“My parents gave their whole life up,” he said softly. “They literally gave everything.”

And maybe that’s why Brett Lee still feels so relatable.

The man who once terrified batsmen across the world now spends his days talking about tractors, fishing, wellness, parenting, Dubai sunsets and learning to slow down.

Not bad for someone who built his career on speed.