mike tindall© Photo: Getty Images

Mike Tindall's exes before his royal wedding with Zara Tindall

The rugby star has kept his love life largely private

Deputy Lifestyle Editor
November 25, 2022

Mike Tindall officially joined the royal family in 2011 when he walked down the aisle with Princess Anne's daughter Zara at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.

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The couple – who are now doting parents to Mia, Lena and Lucas – have a very sweet love story starting with an accidental run-in in Sydney. With Mike sharing snippets inside his private home life on I'm a Celebrity, it has got us thinking about his love life before meeting Zara.

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Like the rest of the royal family, the former England rugby star kept details about his relationships under wraps, but we've rounded up what we know about who Mike dated before becoming a happily married man. Take a look…

Jessica Palmer was believed to be Mike's last serious relationship before tying the knot with Zara. The former couple met in 2001 when he was playing for Bath and she was studying law and management at Leeds University, near Mike's parents' home in West Yorkshire.

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© Photo: Getty Images

Mike dated Jessica Palmer for around a year and they remained friends

After dating for around one year, they went their separate ways but continued to be on good terms, with Jessica attending Mike and Zara's pre-wedding party on the Royal Yacht Britannia before celebrating their wedding in 2011. 

Months after the royal wedding, Mike and Sydney-based former fundraising manager Jessica's relationship hit the headlines when they were spotted greeting each other in a bar in New Zealand. Jessica's grandmother Joan Turton clarified the friendly encounter was "totally innocent." 

© Photo: Getty Images

Jessica (pictured in orange) attended Mike and Zara's pre-wedding party and their 2011 royal wedding

"They used to see each other years ago and they are now friends. It is totally innocent," she told the Daily Mail.

Mike has understandably kept details of his ex-partners very quiet, but he has recently made some rare comments about his early relationship with Zara.

© Photo: Getty Images

Mike and Zara got married in Edinburgh in 2011 after meeting in 2003

When fellow I'm a Celeb campmate Owen Warner asked whether he knew that Zara was royalty upon their first meeting – which took place during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Sydney – he said yes, adding he had previously met several members of her family.

"I know she's Princess Anne's daughter. Princess Anne is patron of Scottish Rugby," he explained. Speaking of Zara, he continued: "We were friends first and then William and Harry were massive England fans at the time, so we’d met them numerous times. I met more of the family than you’d normally have met of the woman you start dating."

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