Mike Tindall openly admitted marriage to Zara 'is not that easy' and addressed issues

Mike Tindall is celebrating his 47th birthday today and despite retiring from rugby over a decade ago, he has plenty to smile about. The former Bath and Gloucester centre, who is married to Royal Family member Zara, has previously confessed that life post-rugby hasn't been a walk in the park.

Tindall tied the knot with Princess Anne's daughter in 2011, while he was still making waves in the rugby world at both club and country levels. But when the star hung up his boots in 2014, he found the transition challenging, which took a toll on his Royal marriage.

During an appearance on the 2023 edition of Grand Slammers, the rugby icon opened up about how his retirement affected his relationship with Zara. Mike said: "Everyone thinks that just by marrying Zara that means it's all fine and dandy... But that doesn't stop the fact that you need a job.

"And it's not that easy, you know - you get quite institutionalised into rugby, it's a way of life and you leave the game and that's not there.

"I don't think you can ever sort of describe when you're so used to being around that many people, and understanding, because of it being ingrained in you, where you fit in to then not being that person.

"Zara would say if she was honest it was probably a year it took me to figure out what I was, who I was going to be."

He added: "You've got to then go carve where the next path is - you can never replace going to work with 35 of your best friends every day."

The couple, who have been together for 15 years and married for 14, are frequently spotted looking smitten at various Royal duties and horse racing events.

During his stint on I'm a Celebrity in 2022, Mike revealed that they share a rather amusing common interest.

Recounting his first date with Zara, he said: "First actual date, just went out for lunch locally. And then ended up being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that we both like getting smashed. It was a good start."

However, with three children now in the mix, Tindall's 47th birthday celebrations are expected to be a bit more low-key.