They are one of the most popular royal couples and are known for their very public displays of affection. But Mike Tindall has opened up with a candid confession about marrying King Charles’ niece Zara – and noted the biggest misconception people have about their relationship. The former England rugby player opened up about his marriage in the ITV show Gamechangers, which is currently being aired.
The show sees members of England’s rugby World Cup winning squad of 2003 head into HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire to train a team of prisoners for a match against an Australian team. And in one piece to the camera during the documentary, Mike opened up about his life after he retired from rugby – and the pressure of finding work.
Speaking candidly, he explained: “Everyone thinks that just by marrying Zara that means it’s all fine and dandy… But that doesn’t stop the fact that you need a job. And it’s not that easy, you know – you get quite institutionalized into rugby, it’s a way of life and you leave the game and that’s not there.
“I don’t think you can ever sort of describe when you’re so used to being around that many people, and understanding, because of it being ingrained in you, where you fit in to then not being that person. Zara would say if she was honest it was probably a year it took me to figure out what I was, who I was going to be. You’ve got to then go carve where the next path is – you can never replace going to work with 35 of your best friends every day.”
Zara, a granddaughter of the late Queen, and Mike married in July 2011 in a beautiful ceremony in Edinburgh surrounded by their nearest and dearest, which included the former monarch and the Prince and Princess of Wales, who themselves had tied the knot just months earlier. .
