Zara Tindall has opened up about the heartbreaking moment her children asked why they could not see their dad Mike Tindall, as he was away filming in Australia.
Last year the former rugby player competed in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, and even though he was on TV nearly every night, he was forbidden from contacting his family.
Zara and their children Mia, nine, Lena, five, and two-year-old Lucas were not even guaranteed a glimpse of him on their TV screens, as he was sometimes edited out of certain scenes. The daughter of Princess Anne explained to Women’s Weekly: “It was emotional. Nowadays you can speak to each other on the phone with FaceTime, whenever [you want].
“So, if either of us is away you’ve still got that connection. Mike not being able to speak to them, or for him to say, ‘What’s going on, guys?’, or ‘Help your mother out!’ or stuff like that, really makes such a difference. It was really hard for them.
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“They could watch him on the TV of course, but the way they edit it depends how much you actually do see of him. Some episodes you might not see that much and the kids would be saying, ‘Why can’t we see him?’. It’s hard for them to understand, so yes, they really missed him.”
Mike was popular with the public on the show, eventually finishing in fourth place, but his emotional reunion with his wife upon leaving the jungle proved he is a family man first and foremost.
Zara flew down to Australia to surprise him as he crossed the famous rope bridge out of the set, and Mike appeared overcome as he held her in his arms, saying: “I missed you so much!”
“We’ve got a great friendship group in Australia and Zara has one in New Zealand as well. We just love that part of the world and love the pace of the life.
“Australians have a great sense of humour, they like a bit of banter, they don’t mind having a go at each other, they don’t take each other too seriously … and I’m all about that.”
For now it seems the family will be staying put at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, close to Zara’s mother Princess Anne and her second husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
