Zara’s husband confesses why he now lives on takeaway grub

SOME members of the Royal Family might expect dinner served on a silver salver, but Mike Tindall has had to take drastic measures to ensure he can enjoy a hot dinner.

The former England rugby captain has revealed that he eats separate meals from his wife, Zara Phillips, 40 (pictured), the Queen’s granddaughter.

In startlingly candid comments, the Yorkshireman says Princess Anne’s daughter stopped cooking for him when she gave up eating red meat after the birth of their three children. Instead of cooking for himself, he orders a delivery every day.

‘My wife Zara’s appetites have changed since having children,’ he discloses. ‘She’s not into eating red meat any more, so now I look after my own meals.

‘I do this through a company that delivers most of my food, because then it’s easy to keep track of my calorie intake.’

The former World Cup winner, 43, who has made a career out of sponsorships and other ventures since retiring from rugby in 2014, explains: ‘I’m not a massive fan of cooking. Zara can look in the fridge and plan what to eat — but that’s not my skill-set.’

Referring to the classic Hollywood film in which a cynical television weatherman becomes trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive the same day repeatedly, Tindall says: ‘When it comes to food, I’m like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day — I’m all about routine. ‘Back in my rugby days, most of my meals were provided. You’d get into the club at 7am and have breakfast. You’d have a midmorning snack, then lunch, then a post-training afternoon snack — so the only meal you’d have to worry about was dinner. That routine has stuck with me.’

He adds: ‘I’m a four-meals-a-day person — so I have lunch bang on 12 noon, something at 3pm, then eat again in the evening. That’s where the food delivery company comes in handy.’

Tindall is known for his straight talking. Last September, he let slip the full extent of the Windsors’ fury after Prince Harry and Meghan’s claims in their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Tindall joked that the royals would like to throw a few punches at Harry.