Mike Tindall discussed staying over at Buckingham Palace during last night’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! – admitting he strolled the royal residence in ‘jeans and a tee’.
The former rugby pro is married to Zara, who is the niece of King Charles III, daughter of his sister Princess Anne, and 20th in line to the throne.
And despite her royal status, the sportsman also told his campmates that he wasn’t at all nervous to meet his wife back in 2003, after rubbing shoulders with a slew of her family members prior.
‘I went down in the morning wearing jeans’: Mike Tindall reveals what it’s like staying the night at Buckingham Palace
During the episode, the six remaining campmates were down to four while Jill Scott and Seann Walsh took on today’s Deals On Wheels trial, with Owen Warner probing Mike on his royal ties during the downtime.
The Hollyoaks star asked: ‘Have you been to Buckingham Palace much?’
‘More than most,’ simply replied Mike, as his campmate questioned what it was like there.
The sportsman explained: ‘A lot of it’s all the state rooms and there’s only a little bit of living. Yeah I’ve stayed there.’
Romance: The sportsman also told his campmates that he wasn’t at all nervous to meet Zara back in 2003, after meeting a slew of her family member first
Casually royal: Mike amitted that he strolled Buckingham Palace in ‘jeans and a tee’ after spending the night at the royal residence
Palace life: The sportsman explained: ‘A lot of it’s all the state rooms and there’s only a little bit of living. Yeah I’ve stayed there’
Keen to know more on the protocol in the Palace, Owen continued: ‘In the morning could you go down in your joggers and T-shirt, or did you have to get dressed up again?’
‘No, jeans and a tee,’ confirmed Mike.
A surprised Owen admitted: ‘I thought you had to be suited and booted,’ before checking: ‘Do you mind chatting about it?’
Mike assured the actor that he didn’t mind the conversation, before being asked if he knew his wife was a royal before meeting her.
‘Yeah [I knew], because I know she’s Princess Anne’s daughter. Princess Anne is patron of Scottish Rugby,’ he explained.
Questions: Owen Warner probed Mike on his royal ties, asking what it’s like to be a part of the monarchy
Reminiscing: ‘We were friends first and then William and Harry were massive England fans at the time, so we’d met them numerous times. Met more of the family than you’d normally have met of the woman you start dating,’ said Mike
Owen then asked: ‘Did you feel a bit of pressure? If I was chatting to a girl and then found out she was royalty I’d be nervous.’
‘No because we were friends first and then William and Harry were massive England fans at the time, so we’d met them numerous times. Met more of the family than you’d normally have met of the woman you start dating,’ said Mike.
Mike played rugby as an outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, before joining the England squad – while the Royal Family have a longstanding affiliation with the Rugby Union.
He and Zara met during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, the same year the sportsman was awarded an MBE after helping the England team win the World Cup in Australia.
Royalty: Zara is the daughter of Princess Anne, and was the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II (Mike and Zara pictured with Her Majesty in 2006)
Wedding: After almost six years of dating, Mike popped the question to Zara in 2010 and the couple married just a year later at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, with a ceremony attended by the rest of the Royal Family
Detailing how they met, Mike previously told The Daily Mail: ‘Zara was on her gap year and in Australia with friends. Clive Woodward had just told me I was dropped for the semi-final, so I went out for a beer with two others who weren’t playing, Martin Corry and Austin Healey.’
And during the outing, the royal equestrian left her number for Mike – who contacted her afterwards and the couple ended up becoming official in early 2004.
After almost six years of dating, Mike popped the question in 2010 and married the beauty just a year later at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, with a ceremony attended by the rest of the Royal Family.
On a previous episode of I’m A Celeb, Mike joked that Zara struggled to look at him in his pants after Sue Cleaver described the sight of him in his underwear as ‘f**king traumatic’.
Coronation Street actress Sue was comforted by Mike as she broke down into tears when she had a difficult morning after feeling overwhelmed in camp.
Awkward: On a previous episode of I’m A Celeb, Mike joked that Zara struggled to look at him in his pants after Sue Cleaver described the sight of him in his underwear as ‘ traumatic’
Heading off to the camp RV, Sue shed some tears, prompting her campmate Mike to give her a hug in a bid to comfort her.
Sue told him: ‘I’m just having a moment, that’s all. Just one of those mornings, I don’t want to do a trial, I don’t want to do a challenge, I don’t want to eat the s**t. I don’t want to sleep with you.’
Mike laughed at her remarks: ‘Agh, I get that. Just think how Zara feels.”
Tears: Coronation Street actress Sue was comforted by former rugby player Mike as she broke down into tears when she had a difficult morning
In the Bush Telegraph, Mike said of his pal Sue: ‘She’s tough inside, she just had a little moment today. Hey, everyone, in this environment, completely expected.’
Mike then told Sue: ‘I’ll look after you. I just didn’t think it was that traumatic seeing me in my pants…’
Sue laughed, telling him: ‘It’s f**king traumatic.’
Sportsman Mike has worn a number of skimpy budgie smugglers during time on the show.
He left little to the imagination after he squeezed into some bright swimwear for a dip in the camp creek earlier this week.
Skimpy: It comes after Mike sported some skimpy budgie smugglers during Wednesday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
I’M A CELEBRITY 2022: THE FULL LINEUP
BOY GEORGE
BOY GEORGE
AGE: 61
CLAIM TO FAME: Legendary pop star
PHOBIAS: Being scared
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, I am going straight into the jungle from playing at various festivals and gigs
ROLE IN THE CAMP: In-house dietician reassuring everyone that they will be ok on the jungle diet. And entertainer – I will sing!
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I am a very positive person and I don’t bear any grudges
DREAM CAMPMATE: It would be funny if my ex, Jon Moss, comes on the programme -but I don’t think that will happen!
CHRIS MOYLES
CHRIS MOYLES
AGE: 48
CLAIM TO FAME: Radio DJ
PHOBIAS: I am petrified of heights. I ended up carrying the bags when we took my girlfriend’s niece once to Go Ape as I am so petrified!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? A friend’s birthday, a wedding, and Leeds United matches
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Entertainer. Hopefully I can help shorten everyone’s boredom.
BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hiding food! I am going to fly out early and sneak into the jungle and hide pot noodles everywhere, then I will be everyone’s best friend!
DREAM CAMPMATE: Ant and Dec…let’s see how they cope for 24 hours!
SUE CLEAVER
SUE CLEAVER
AGE: 59
CLAIM TO FAME: Playing Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street
PHOBIAS: Don’t be ridiculous! I am not going to admit to what I fear most!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? Coronation Street and we are expecting another grandchild any day, so hopefully it will arrive before I fly out to Australia.
ROLE IN THE CAMP: I will be more of a mum – that is where I will naturally fit.
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I can cook and I am a good listener, so hopefully I will be a friendly ear for everyone.
DREAM CAMPMATE: Good Morning Britain’s Richard Arnold. He is my TV husband and it would be lovely to have an ally in camp!
SCARLETTE DOUGLAS
SCARLETTE DOUGLAS
AGE: 35
CLAIM TO FAME: Presenter of A Place In The Sun
PHOBIAS: Spiders. There is no point in lying about it! I’ve got an irrational fear about them
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? Just a holiday which I can postpone
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Mum, cook and morale booster. I always like to look at the positive side in life
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I can cook and I will be good at making sure everything is tidy in camp
DREAM CAMPMATE: Mo Gilligan. He is hilarious and I totally fancy him!
BABATÚNDÉ ALÉSHÉ
BABATÚNDÉ ALÉSHÉ
AGE: 36
CLAIM TO FAME: Comedian
PHOBIAS: I am scared of absolutely everything. Snakes, rats – I am fearful of them all and I am dreading the trials
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? I was going on tour but we’ve postponed it now until next year
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Tension breaker. If I can break tension anywhere it starts up in the camp, then I will do that. We don’t need to be bickering as it will be a first-time experience for everyone
BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hopefully I will bring some humour to the camp
DREAM CAMPMATE: I am a big Arsenal fan and so any ex-Arsenal player would be great. I am looking forward to chatting to Ant & Dec about football
SEANN WALSH
SEANN WALSH
AGE: 36
CLAIM TO FAME: Comedian
PHOBIAS: I am not too pleased about rats being in there but I am just trying to pretend it is not happening!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, I am really looking forward to taking part in this show
BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION YOU WANT TO DISPEL IN THE JUNGLE: People have voiced their feelings about me and I am hoping they will see I am very different. I want to create new memories
ROLE IN THE CAMP: I am a great listener. I can’t cook but if someone would like to teach me, then I will give it a go
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I don’t want to put myself down but if my friends were to answer this question, they would say there isn’t much Seann can do! I am not really bringing too much to the table which is why I am a good listener!
DREAM CAMPER: Lee Evans, anyone from Blink-182 or Boy George. My mum took me to see him at Wembley and he wore a satellite dish as a hat!
MIKE TINDALL
MIKE TINDALL
AGE: 44
CLAIM TO FAME: Rugby Union player and married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall
PHOBIAS: I haven’t admitted to having any phobias but in a weird way, I am looking forward to taking part in the trials!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? My podcast series and the rugby Internationals this autumn
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Morning motivator. I would like to see everyone get on well and us all have a great experience
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I am a positive person
DREAM CAMPMATE: Samuel L Jackson would be cool. He has lived the life!
OWEN WARNER
OWEN WARNER
AGE: 23
CLAIM TO FAME: Playing Romeo Nightingale in Hollyoaks
PHOBIAS: Snakes!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? I am a big fan of football so I will miss watching the start of the World Cup
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Entertainer and games coordinator
BEST ATTRIBUTE: It is definitely not my cooking skills or brains!
DREAM CAMPMATE: Any of the Leicester City starting 11!
CHARLENE WHITE
CHARLENE WHITE
AGE: 42
CLAIM TO FAME: ITV newsreader and Loose Women anchor
PHOBIAS: I am not sure what my fear factor will be because I’ve never had rodents, spiders and snakes crawling all over me!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? My children’s annual school ball which I am gutted about
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Mum and cook. I don’t mind falling into that position
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I like to listen and talk. I love learning about people and I have a natural curiosity for people
DREAM CAMPMATE: Colin Murray and Richard Osman
JILL SCOTT
JILL SCOTT
AGE: 35
CLAIM TO FAME: Retired England Lioness
PHOBIAS: I don’t like rats and the thought of being underground fills me with fear!
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? The Men’s World Cup. I am going to find it weird not being able to know how the men are getting on in the tournament. Hopefully they will still be in the tournament when I come out of the jungle
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Helping hand. I like to help people if they aren’t having a good day
BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hard worker. I will always find a way to add value. I am also very honest
DREAM CAMPMATE: Another sports person would be great as it would be someone to bounce ideas off.
OLIVIA ATTWOOD
OLIVIA ATTWOOD – EXITED THE SHOW
AGE: 31
CLAIM TO FAME: Love Island star
PHOBIAS: I hate the dark so I’m keen to avoid any challenges in the darkness
MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, had the show been on air any later, I could have missed my sister’s wedding
ROLE IN THE CAMP: Clown. I was always the class clown at school and I love having a laugh
BEST ATTRIBUTE: I don’t take myself seriously and I have got a good sense of humour
DREAM CAMPMATE: A pop legend like Dolly Parton who has amazing stories to tell
MATT HANCOCK
MATT HANCOCK
AGE: 44
CLAIM TO FAME: Politician
PHOBIAS: Snakes. I don’t thankfully suffer from claustrophobia –or I think I don’t!
BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION YOU WANT TO DISPEL IN THE JUNGLE: Politicians are people too and it will be nice for people to see me as me. We are human too
ROLE IN THE CAMP: I like to muck in, and I think I will be collecting a lot of firewood. I like cooking too