Mike Tindall: Marriage to Zara, his rugby career and life as a Royal

Mike Tindall zara phillip

by Lorna White |
Updated on

He might be a former rugby union player, but you might also recognise Mike Tindall as a member of the British royal family.

Now, Mike has made a rather surprising move by signing up to the 2022 series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. We think he'll be quite popular on the show but, you might be wanting to learn more about the rugby star now he'll be on our telly every weeknight.

Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips

Mike and Zara have been married since 2011. They first met one another in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Australia. As a member of the Royal family, the Queen had to give her consent for their marriage and in December 2010, Buckingham Palace announced that her eldest Granddaughter, Zara Phillips, was engaged to Mike.

Mike tindall zara phillips wedding

The pair got married in the summer of 2011 in Edinburgh surrounded by all their closest family and friends including the Royal family. Their first daughter, Mia Grace Tindall was born in 2014. Very sadly, Zara's following two pregnancies ended in miscarriage. However, they went on to have two more children, Lena Elizabeth, born in 2018 and Lucas Philip, born in 2021.

Mike Tindall as a member of the Royal family

In a previous interview with The Telegraph, Mike shared how welcoming the late Queen Elizabeth IIwas to him.

Mike Tindall and queen

"I can only say how kind they've been to me, and how welcoming they've been to me since joining the family. And how they've made my family welcome.

"I've always felt part of it and I think that's down to what an amazing woman the Queen is. They're a fantastic family."

mike tindall princess anne

He's also shared how close he is to his mother-in-law, Princess Anne. They share a particularly close bond over their shared love of sports and they're often seen joking together at events. He also seems very close to Prince William and Duchess Kate and their three children - we loved seeing Mike joking with the kids at the Platinum Jubilee events this summer.

mike tindall prince louis

Other members of the Royal clan that Mike has been spotted joking with on numerous occasions include Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, Sophie Wessex and Zara's brother, Peter Phillips.

Mike's rugby career

Born in Otley, West Yorkshire, Mike was always interested in rugby from an early age, and he joined Bath Rugby Club in 1997 aged 18, straight after leaving school.

mike tindall rugby player

He made his England Rugby debut in 2000 at Twickenham and since then has won 75 caps playing for his country between 2000 and 2011.

As well as playing for Bath, he also played for Gloucester before announcing his retirement in 2014. Since retiring, he has turned to coaching Minchinhampton RFC.

Mike Tindall on I'm a Celebrity

Mike is no stranger to TV, and he's previously appeared on The Jump and Bear Grylls: Mission Survive as well as And They're Off! in aid of Sport Relief. As well as his TV commitments, he also does a lot of work for a range of charities close to his heart including Rugby for Heroes, The Midlands Air Ambulance as well as charities to help those living with Parkinson's disease.

From what we've seen of Mike so far in I'm a Celebrity, he's fearless, diving head-first into every challenge. He's also rather funny, with his hilarious rapping and adorable stories of his early life with Zara. We're looking forward to seeing how Mike gets on with his fellow campmates and if he reveals anything about life as a Royal.

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