SHANE WARNE'S wife Simone has put the brakes on her husband's plans to relocate to Hampshire.

She insisted yesterday that her family will not be leaving Australia in the immediate future.

The news will not affect Warne's Hampshire contract as he is committed to captaining the county regardless of where he is based. The issue is more about when the couple move rather than if, given the resulting upheaval it could cause their three young children, Brooke, Jackson, and Summer, who are settled in Melbourne.

"We're not moving overseas," said Simone at the Warne family home. "It's something we have talked about and we will see what happens later this year but that's about all I can say at the moment."

Simone's surprise comments come in the wake of her husband's announcement at the weekend that he had signed a four-year contract with Hampshire and bought a new property in Southampton.

In the past Simone has hinted at her desire to emigrate to England or Spain, partly to escape the media intrusion surrounding her husband, and also because she wants a more European lifestyle.

But, after extensive renovations to their family mansion recently, and considering the implications of leaving behind their friends and relatives, a permanent move to England may not be as straight-forward as the spin king appears to think.

"At the moment, it's home and down the track it will probably be home for the family as well," Warne said.

"My wife would love to live in Spain tomorrow. It's a bit hard when you're playing for Australia."

Warne once famously said his life was like a soap opera. His wife is the key figure in the next intriguing episode.