Mike Tindall is notoriously private about his personal life but this week he has revealed wife Zara Tindall's nickname during a conversation on the RugbyJoe podcast. The retired rugby star was chatting with James Haskell, and the pair were challenged to a game of 'Would you rather...?' by interviewer Alex Payne. In the game, Mike was asked if he would rather marry a royal or win the World Cup, to which he responded: "Well I've technically done both but hang on, will it be my wife that I'm marrying?" Alex responded: "Yes, would you rather marry Zoe or win the World Cup?" to which Mike answered: "Could we take Zoey out of it? Because obviously if it's my wife I would marry my wife."
Mike Tindall revealed Zara's nickname during an interview on podcast RugbyJoe
The 41-year-old has been out in Japan over the past few weeks to commentate on the Rugby World Cup and was joined by Zara over the weekend – who has flown out to be there for the final on Saturday to watch England compete in the match. The royals were also joined by Zara's brother Peter Phillips, while Prince Harry is set to go out there ahead of the last match of the tournament. It is not known whether Mike and Zara's children, Mia, five, and Lena, one, have joined them in Japan, or if they have stayed at home.
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Zara flew out to Japan over the weekend
Both Mike and Zara are incredibly down-to-earth and prefer to keep their personal lives out of the spotlight. The pair are very close to the rest of the royal family, and are often pictured enjoying days out with Peter, his wife Autumn Phillips and their daughters Savannah and Isla. The couple also get on well with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who have children of similar ages to them. Earlier in the year, the two families had fun at the Burnham Horse Trials during the Easter holidays. Mike was pictured giving Prince George a piggyback, and Princess Charlotte enjoyed going on the fairground rides with Mia and her older brother. While Mike doesn't follow his royal relatives on his newly-opened Instagram account, he is in regular contact with them on Whatsapp.
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Mike and Zara want their daughters to have as normal an upbringing as possible, and are known for their down-to-earth ways. The couple made the decision not to give their children royal titles, something that Zara and her brother Peter grew up without as well. Rather than feeling excluded without a royal title, Zara often speaks out about the benefits her parents' decision gave her. The mum-of-two told HELLO! that she was able to be more creative than her cousin Prince William, who is second-in-line to the British throne after Prince Charles. "We were able to be more adventurous than say, William," Zara explained. The royal also told The Times in 2015: "I'm very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do."
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