His playing days may be over, but that hasn’t stopped Stuart Hogg from making headlines. The former Scot sparked outrage this week after being pictured with his new girlfriend just days after his wife gave birth to the couple’s fourth child.

The 31-year-old, who announced his immediate retirement from rugby ahead of this year’s World Cup, has gone public with his romance with TV presenter and former jockey Leona Mayor, with a post on his website showing the couple enjoying a weekend break. romantic week at a spa. together. Instagram is a new flame.

But that moment left his wife of seven years, Gillian, shocked and “heartbroken” when the former full-back showed off his new relationship just hours after giving birth to a baby girl. Despite hopes that his retirement would bring the couple closer together, they have now split and Hogg’s behavior has reportedly failed to impress those close to the couple.

He’s always been a somewhat controversial figure in the area, but how exactly did Hogg get here? Here’s everything you need to know about the former skipper, from his tragic and somewhat controversial past to his post-retirement bombshell and his new romance with the woman once dubbed “the sexiest jockey in the world”.

Family comes first in retirement

After marrying Gillian in a lavish ceremony at Barony Castle in Peeblesshire in 2016, Hogg presented himself as a family man to most rugby fans, with his children often seen with him after matches or before, from the start .

The couple’s first daughter, Olivia, was born in 2015 and their son Archie was born just a few months after the wedding. Second son George was born in 2019 and earlier this month Gillian gave birth to daughter Phoebe Ann.

Hogg had previously paid tribute to his wife, calling her an “absolute star” when Archie was born six weeks early via an emergency caesarean section after suffering pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal condition. After mother and baby emerged unharmed from the “terrifying” experience, the former Glasgow and Exeter man said: “We endured as much as we could without putting Gill and the little man at risk.”

“Gill was worried about whether Archie would be okay and whether she would be okay. Whatever fear I felt, for her it was a hundred times greater. But she was an absolute star.”

And it seemed family still came first for Hogg when he announced his retirement in July this year, opting to hang up his boots before the World Cup rather than after, as he had previously promised. After winning 100 caps for Scotland and three tours with the British and Irish Lions, he said the decision to leave his career was mainly to spend more time with his family.

Confirming his sudden retirement, Hogg thanked his wife and “dear family” for their support in his career, but said he “misses my children growing up” due to the physical toll it took on him.

He explained: “When my seven-year-old son comes to see me and I come back from training and he says, ‘Dad, do you want to go out and play football?’ And I tell him: “friend, I can’t. I honestly can’t, like I’m completely broken.”

“His little face and he’s in the rain… I’m sitting there looking at him and he’s alone and thinking, ‘This is completely destroying me.’ “I want to be close to my children.”

A romance with “the sexiest jockey in the world”

But just months after retiring, Hogg split from Gillian and is now dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, with a photo posted to the TV presenter’s Instagram seemingly confirming their relationship. The image shows them relaxing in a spa in Stoke-on-Trent, with the caption: “The smallest, most Monday ever.”

The Mayor, 32, is a former jockey who won 32 races during her career from 2009 to 2013. But although her competitive days are behind her, she is now a well-known television presenter, appearing on ITV Racing and Sky. She has a sports career and at the same time works as an ambassador for William Hill.

She has covered live races including the Grand National, Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, and has amassed 31,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares glamorous photos from her travels around the world.

She was also voted “the sexiest jockey in the world” when she took part in a photo shoot for Zoo magazine in 2013. Speaking about the shoot, she said: “I know the reasons I did it and I think they were right. reasons. I didn’t do anything wrong to anyone and I don’t regret it.

“I didn’t show my breasts and I never would. I hope to have children in the future and there is nothing I can be ashamed of online, absolutely nothing.

“I think I’m a girl with a certain image, I need to work more. I still think people look at someone like me and think, “That’s an idiot.” I find it very offensive that people say I only work on television because I’m pretty.

“It’s not like I’m in front of the camera doing nothing,” she added. “We all know people who got jobs for the wrong reasons. I have a job because I worked hard, proved myself, and made things happen.”

Mera and Hogg were seen running together ahead of their spa weekend, but the speed at which the rugby star moved left Gillian confused.

A friend told the Sun: “How much should a woman drink? She gave birth last week. The last thing a new mother wants is to see her children’s father flaunting his new relationship on social media for the world to see?

Another added: “She is heartbroken at a vulnerable time with a newborn and three other children. She supported him throughout his career, distancing herself from those she loved and knew. But as soon as they returned to her hometown, everything happened.” Her refusal to leave the family home was a huge shock to her and her children, but she simply could not stay there any longer.

“My damn choice”

Hogg made headlines again last year when he lashed out at rugby observers who he believed were looking at his appearance rather than his ability to play.

After fans mocked him for growing a “man bun” and getting veneers, the defender took to Instagram to vent his anger.

“Okay, I understand,” he wrote. “I find it incredibly frustrating and upsetting that my appearance somehow outweighs my ability to play rugby, according to ‘fans’ of the game. my hair, my teeth. It’s my choice what I’m going to do.

“No matter how many times I have been scolded, written about or commented on, I will continue to be myself. Why? Because I have every right to do so. I have a man bun. They treated my teeth. .This is old news. Find something more interesting in your life.

The tragedy of the car accident.

In November 2021, Hogg became Scotland’s all-time top goalscorer and fans know that he scored almost every goal by making a “W” sign with his fingers and pointing to the sky. However, few know the tragic story behind it, which almost cost him his career, if not his life.

In 2009, he and his friend and teammate Richard Wilkinson, grandson of former Scotland international Doug Jackson, were involved in a horrific car accident which killed Wilkinson when he was just 17 years old.

The couple were waiting for a van to pick them up from a rugby tournament when another friend offered to give them a lift. After the driver of the car began speeding down a country road at 90 mph, the car went out of control and Richard, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was killed instantly.

All other occupants of the vehicle survived, including Hogg’s backseat passenger, who managed to climb out of the window to escape the wreckage. However, he admits the incident had a “huge impact” on his life, revealing in 2016: “Losing Richard is with me every day and I don’t want anyone to go through our pain. Every time I step onto the field I play for both of us. “He is always with me, on and off the field.”

Two teenagers involved in drag racing were jailed the following year for a total of nine years, and Hogg promoted road safety in memory of his late friend.

Six nations drink shame

Hogg sparked controversy again last year when he and five of his Scotland team-mates broke team protocol by having a drink after returning home from defeating Italy in the Six Nations.

The news was kept secret for almost a week but emerged before the match against Ireland when the Scottish Rugby Union issued a statement saying it was dealing with a “post-match matter”.

The full-back admitted his mistake following his side’s 26-5 defeat in Dublin, saying in a post-match interview: “Hands up. We knew we had made a mistake. We continue to ensure we prepare as best we can.

“It was a difficult week, but it was one of our best weeks of preparation. We stayed together and continued our work. I apologized and raised my hands. I am deeply disappointed with what happened. “I was upset and disappointed, but I can’t go back and change anything.”