Mike Tindall Opens Up About 'Boozy' First Date with Wife Zara, Jokes 'It Was a Good Start'
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Zara Tindall found her prince in a relatable place!
On the latest episode of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Mike Tindall shared the sweet story of how he he met his wife, who is the granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth, and gave a glimpse into their unexpected first date. Zara, 41, and Mike, 44, first crossed paths during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, meeting at the Manly Wharf Bar.
"I was at the World Cup, she was out watching," Mike said on Monday's episode of the U.K. survival reality show. "I got dropped from the semi-final. I was pissed off and so I went for a beer with another guy who got dropped and a guy who was over [in Sydney]. They'd met her before and they introduced us and then got chatting."
The two clicked from the start and found easy chemistry during their first date.
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"First actual date, just went out for lunch locally. And ended up being quite a boozy one," the retired England rugby player recalled. "Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start."
Chiming in, fellow contestant Owen Warner asked, "So if you never got dropped you never would have met her?"
"Best decision of Clive Woodward's life," Mike replied, referencing the former Team England rugby coach.
Mike and Zara got engaged in 2010 and wed the following summer. They would go on to welcome three children — daughters Mia, 8, and Lena, 4, and son Lucas, 1.
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In a 2012 interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Zara confirmed her and Mike's meet-cute at the beach bar and agreed when asked if it was inevitable that athletes gravitate towards one another.
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"It's probably easy, you know, wanting to be the best. It goes together well," the equestrian said.
Mike is currently back in Australia, competing on the most extreme reality show on British television. I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! has been a hit since it debuted in 2002, taking contestants out of their usual routines and into campsites surrounded by insects, the elements and the dangers of nature.
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The contestants navigate challenges, hunger pangs and camp living, as the group is of 12 is gradually whittled down by the public vote. By the end of the three-week competition, the "evictions" leave just three contestants, who are given the option of a dream meal to eat in the jungle (this time served from a restaurant).
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The following day the Queen or King of the Jungle is announced on live TV — and crowned with a large headdress made from Australian plants.
Season 22 of the U.K. edition of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is airing now.