RUGBY ACE BEN FODEN GETS MARRIED… AFTER TWO WEEKS OF DATING!
RUGBY PLAYER BEN FODEN MARRIES HIS SECOND WIFE… AFTER TWO WEEKS OF DATING!
Rugby ace Ben Foden shocked fans last week by announcing he had wed his new girlfriend Jackie Belanoff Smith after officially dating for just two weeks. Less than a year after divorcing The Saturdays singer Una Healy, former England rugby international Ben, 34 – who now plays for Rugby United New York – revealed that he had married New Yorker Jackie on a yacht in Massachusetts.
And though the news came as a shock to Ben’s fans, Jackie’s family weren’t concerned, revealing that his new wife is a ‘romantic’ who has always dreamt of having her own family. Jackie’s 19-yearold cousin Victoria Sazonovsmith said: ‘I was a little bit surprised but Jackie has always been a romantic. Her dream is to have her own family. They seem very in love and by what she’s told me about him, I think they’re perfect for each other.’ She added: ‘If you find someone perfect and you have a gut feeling that it’ll last forever, why not get married?’
Her sentiment echoes that of Ben when he posted Instagram pictures of the new Mrs Foden with a lengthy caption: ‘People will say we are mad or crazy or even fools. But when someone like her comes into your life, why would I wait?’ He added: ‘Life is short and you only get one and it’s worth living. Jackie is the greatest human being I’ve ever come across... she will be a great step mum to Aoife and Tadhg [his children with Una].’
Ben also revealed that his former wife had given the union her ‘blessing’. However, the 37-year-old singer remained tight-lipped on the matter on her own social media channels and was said to be being supported by her former Saturdays bandmates. At the time of going to press, Una was due to perform at Farmer’s Bash: Live At The Beach in Northern Ireland.
The first week of being Mrs Foden was not without its challenges for Jackie, though, who then had to endure reports that Ben had exchanged ‘filthy sex texts’ with reality TV star Rebecca Jane just before the wedding. Rebecca’s friend said that she was ‘absolutely stunned’ when she heard about the wedding as she and Ben ‘still messaged all the time’.
Ben and Una were married for six years and share sevenyear-old Aoife and Tadhg, four, but they split last year after he admitted cheating on her. He said: ‘I was the one who committed adultery. At the same time, it wasn’t the only reason for our divorce.’