Gareth Bale marries his childhood sweetheart in secret as couple snub her elderly grandparents

Real Madrid sensation Gareth Bale has secretly married his childhood sweetheart in a hush-hush ceremony which snubbed his bride’s devastated grandparents.  

John and Eva McMurray, who helped raise newlywed Emma Rhys-Jones, are reeling after they were missed off the 60-strong guest list for the couple’s wedding on the exclusive Spanish island of Tagomago off Majorca.

It comes amid claims that the Welsh international is trying to airbrush his in-laws from their lives following a spell of ‘family turmoil’ which last year forced the pair to postpone their nuptials.   

Bale with his recent wife Emma Rhys-Jones and children riding an electric scooter in Madrid, where he plays for top-flight team Real Madrid

Rhys-Jones’s grandparents – both in their eighties – only heard about the private wedding 10 days after the ceremony.

Mr McMurray, a retired decorator, said: ‘I’m totally gutted, I can’t believe what they’ve done.

‘We knew the wedding was coming up and of course we were expecting an invite.

‘We helped bring Emma up – I was like a dad to her when her own father was in jail.

‘She asked me if I’d walk her down the aisle when she married Gareth.’

Rhys-Jones had initially asked Mr McMurray to give her away but she was instead walked down the aisle by her brother Robert. 

The McMurrays helped raise their granddaughter after Rhys-Jones’ father Martin (left), 55, was jailed for six years for fraud

The couple had a private ceremony on the exclusive Spanish island of Tagomago off Majorca

In 2016, the McMurrays found themselves at the centre of a bitter gang war when Rhys-Jones’ auntie Annabella Williams was reportedly arrested over money and drug laundering.

They had to temporarily move out of their home after it was firebombed by thugs looking for the stolen stash.

And when they tried to strong-arm Bale to foot the repair bill, he cut ties with his then fiancée’s grandparents. 

The McMurrays helped raise their granddaughter after Rhys-Jones’ father Martin, 55, was jailed for six years for fraud. 

In April Rhys-Jones’ cousin Peter Williams, 24, went on the run after breaching a criminal behaviour order

And in April Rhys-Jones’ cousin Peter Williams, 24, went on the run after breaching a criminal behaviour order. 

Neither were invited to their 27-year-old relative’s wedding to the 29-year-old star striker who tied the knot in front of just a handful of close friends.

The ceremony was so private the guests were only told the location 24 hours before and had to hand over their mobile phones to ex-SAS security guards. 

The pair originally planned a star-studded occasion in a picturesque Italian castle with Beyonce as their wedding singer.

They switched it to the island of Tagomago where Bale had proposed to Emma two years earlier.  

But after their security was threatened in the wake of the drugs scandal the pair opted for a secret wedding with no celebrities and none of Gareth’s team mates on the guest list.