Mike Tindall reveals his unexpected nickname for wife Zara during an interview in Japan

Mike Tindall reveals his unexpected nickname for his wife Zara during a game of ‘would you rather’ while being interviewed in Japan

  • WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS SWEARING 
  • Former England rugby star revealed he calls his royal wife by an alternative name
  • During interview with Alex Payne on RugbyJoe podcast, referred to her as ‘Zoey’
  • Dad-of-two Mike, 41, was member of England squad which won 2003 World Cup

Just when we thought we’d heard all the royal nicknames, Mike Tindall casually drops his surprising pet name for his wife Zara – and it’s ‘Zoey’.

The former England rugby star, who was a member of the squad which won the World Cup in 2003, made the revelation during an interview in Japan ahead of the team’s semi-final clash against New Zealand last Saturday. 

During an interview with Alex Payne on the RugbyJoe podcast, Mike and fellow former rugby player James Haskell were challenged to a game of ‘would you rather’.

The first question is put to Mike, 41, who is asked if he would rather marry a royal or win the World Cup.

Former rugby player Mike Tindall casually dropped his surprising pet name for his wife Zara – and it’s ‘Zoey’

Mike responded: ‘Well I’ve done both technically, but… s***.’

Faced with the either/or requirement of the question, he continued: ‘Well hang on, will it be my wife, that I’m marrying?’

Alex responded: ‘Yeah, would you rather marry Zoey or win the World Cup?’ to which Mike asked: ‘Could we take Zoey out of it? Cause obviously if it’s my wife I would marry my wife.’

His response generated a series of ‘Awws!’ around the table – and no doubt from viewers watching the sweet moment.

That’s not the only tricky question put to Mike, who was also asked if he would prefer to Leave or Remain in the European Union.

WARNING: CONTAINS SWEARING 

Mike Tindall and Zara, pictured during the Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic at The Belfry on May 17, 2019 in Sutton Coldfield, married on July 30, 2011

Mike Tindall and Zara, pictured during the Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic at The Belfry on May 17, 2019 in Sutton Coldfield, married on July 30, 2011

Royal Family members are notoriously impartial on such political matters – and Mike dealt with the controversial question by pretending to toss a coin and exclaiming: ‘Leave!’

When asked if he thought England would beat the All Blacks in the semi-final, the ex-player said he would ‘like to be proved wrong’ but predicted New Zealand would take the win by five points.

‘It literally is a 50-50 for me on who turns up on the day,’ Mike said – though Haskell backed England all the way. 

Mike has been in Japan for the last few weeks working on his podcast, House of Rugby, and Zara joined him there ahead of England’s final clash against South Africa. It’s not known if their two children – Mia, five, and Lena, one, are with them.

In September the Duchess of Sussex, 38, let her cute monicker for baby Archie slip as she and Prince Harry prepared to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu for tea in Cape Town.

During an interview with Alex Payne on the RugbyJoe podcast, Mike and fellow former rugby player James Haskell were challenged to a game of 'would you rather' - and the first question put to Mike is would he rather marry a royal or win the World Cup

During an interview with Alex Payne on the RugbyJoe podcast, Mike and fellow former rugby player James Haskell were challenged to a game of 'would you rather' - and the first question put to Mike is would he rather marry a royal or win the World Cup

During an interview with Alex Payne on the RugbyJoe podcast, Mike and fellow former rugby player James Haskell were challenged to a game of ‘would you rather’ – and the first question put to Mike is would he rather marry a royal or win the World Cup

Meghan referred to her son as Bubba – usually used in her native America as a term of endearment derived from ‘brother’, mainly given to boys. 

In Australia and New Zealand it’s commonly used as a noun to refer affectionately to a baby.

It’s a common trait for royals to give nicknames to each other; Prince George revealed earlier this year that his nickname is Archie, and he called the Queen ‘gan-gan’ when he struggled to also say the word grandma, according to his mother Kate.

Former England rugby star Mike Tindall was a member of the squad which won the World Cup in 2003

Former England rugby star Mike Tindall was a member of the squad which won the World Cup in 2003

Meanwhile Meghan has been reportedly called ‘Tungsten’ by her father-in-law in reference to the strong metal.

Prince Charles has apparently given the Duchess of Sussex the name based on her ‘toughness’.

The Duchess of Cambridge also has a cheeky name for her husband – calling him ‘Prince Baldy’ referring to his thinning crown. 



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