On the straight and narrow at last: Tindall reveals new nose
Years after Princess Royal reportedly offered to pay for surgery, son-in-law finally gets procedure done
MIKE TINDALL has finally had his broken nose straightened out – years after the Princess Royal reportedly asked him to do it before he married Zara Phillips, her daughter.
The former England captain, 39, has fought off the requests for treatment for years. His mother-in-law-to-be reportedly offered to pay for the surgery in 2011 after she became worried about the wedding photographs.
Tindall broke his nose at least eight times during his career and his face was said to have been mocked by teammates as “a relief map of the Pennines” due to its twisted bridge.
He appeared at an endurance competition at Pippingford Park in East Sussex over the weekend with Neil Back and Will Greenwood, fellow rugby ex-internationals.
A source close to the Spring Wolf Run event said he was told the rugby
‘The problem is that if I get it done, will people say I’ve had it just because I’m doing TV stuff? It’s definitely not’
star underwent surgery last week to fine-tune his already improved nose, it was reported.
Three months before marrying into royalty, Tindall told the panel on Sky One’s A League of Their Own, the sports quiz show: “Princess Anne asked me if I’d have the surgery.”
But with a Rugby World Cup around the corner that year and a high probability his nose would be broken again, he turned down the offer.
After retiring in 2014, he moved into the studio as a pundit and he has now eventually given into peer pressure and gone under the lift.
Three years ago, he dropped his first hint to the Daily Mirror that he might be forced into the operating theatre.
He said he might have to get the procedure done and added: “I guess it’s something similar to a pug. The problem is that if I get it done, will people say I’ve had it just because I’m doing TV stuff now? Because it’s definitely not.”
Tindall first broke his nose aged five in a dodgem car prang when his head hit the steering wheel.
Earlier this year, the Queen welcomed news that she is to become a great-grandmother again, as Tindall and his wife confirmed they were expecting a baby in the summer, which will be three months after Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had their third child.
Mr and Mrs Tindall, who are already parents to Mia, three, announced they were expecting another child a year after enduring a miscarriage.
The Queen was “very pleased” to hear the news of what will be her seventh great-grandchild.
She already has two great-grandsons, Prince George and Prince Louis, and four great-granddaughters: Princess Charlotte, Savannah and Isla Phillips as well as Mia Tindall. Their newest addition is likely to be born in the same Cotswolds NHS hospital as Mia.
Unlike the latest royal baby, the new arrival will not be given a title, and the parents are keen for as “normal” an upbringing as possible. The children will be part of a family of confirmed sporting pedigree, with an Olympian as a mother and an international captain as a father.
Mrs Tindall – then Zara Phillips – won gold in the World Championships in the individual eventing at the 2006 tournament in Aachen, Germany, and gained a silver medal in the team eventing at London 2012 Olympics.
Her husband played 75 timed for England and notched up more than 350 games for Bath and Gloucester in a decorated career.