Warner opens up in emotional tell-all

David Warner has opened up on the death of Phillip Hughes and his at-times controversial career in a deeply personal and emotional television interview.

Warner appeared on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes program and paid tribute to his fiancé Candice Falzon for saving his career.

"I wouldn't be playing for Australia, that's for sure," Warner said of the role Falzon has played in his life.

Warner with Ivy Mae, and fianceé Falzon at a photoshoot // Getty Images

After a blistering start to his international career that was launched in a T20 international, Warner courted disaster with a Twitter tirade at leading cricket journalists Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn.

"You sort of just made it to the big time, you get carried away with yourself, you feel invincible," Warner said of his mindset at the time, agreeing that he was "cocky" and "arrogant".

"I didn't understand the power of social media. I didn't realise something like that could be something big."

Worse was to come, however, when the bullish opener was involved in a late-night altercation with England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar in mid-2013.

"I was just down on myself. We weren't playing our best cricket, I wasn't playing my best cricket. It all lead to this volcano ready to erupt," Warner said.

"I had doubts in my mind – do you deserve another opportunity to go out there and represent Australia?"

Warner and Falzon met when the former Ironwoman competitor reached out to him following the Root scandal and his exile from the Ashes tour to an Australia A series in Zimbabwe.

Warner has been in terrific form for more than a year // Getty Images

Having gone through a tabloid scandal of her own, Falzon told 60 Minutes presenter Peter Overton that she felt well placed to offer some advice.

"It was almost like stuff up again and you'll lose everything," Falzon said.

Warner added: "That was the starting point; that turned my life around."

In a hilarious recount, @DavidWarner31 tells how his perfect proposal didn't quite go to plan. WATCH #ExtraMinutes: https://t.co/bcEvKj3Q0N — 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) March 15, 2015

Turn his life around it did. Before his altercation with Root, Warner had scored 1263 runs in 19 Tests at an average of 39.46 with three centuries.

A mixture of maturity, the support of his new partner and a developing game have seen Warner explode. Since his return to the fold for the third Test of the 2013 winter Ashes series, Warner has scored 1870 runs at 56.66 from 17 matches, with nine centuries.

Three of those Test centuries came this summer – back-to-back tons in Adelaide and another on the Sydney turf where Phillip Hughes had fallen six weeks previously.

In an emotion-charged segment on the death of Hughes, Warner spoke about dealing with the aftermath of being on the field when his close friend was struck while batting at the SCG for South Australia.

Warner was among the first on the scene and rode beside Hughes on the medicab off the pitch to waiting medical attention. Hughes died two days later in hospital.

"When I got home after that day, I was standing in the shower, facing the wall, hands on my head, going 'Why?'," Warner said.

"The thought of coming off that day holding his hand was … it hurs every day when I think about it," Warner said while choking back tears.

"It's hard to talk about it now, it was hard to talk about it with Candice.

"I turned around and said 'Why? Why does this happen in the game of cricket?'"

Warner breaks down while talking about Phillip Hughes // Channel Nine

Warner scored a century in the rescheduled first Commonwealth Bank Series Test against India at the Adelaide Oval.

"Looking into the skies and the stands it brought a big smile to my face to say I've done it for him, I've done it for my mate," Warner said.