Mike Tindall has told how he and wife Zara Tindall discovered they both "quite like getting smashed" on their first date.

The former England rugby union player admitted it was a "good start" when he and the 41-year-old royal - who is the daughter of Princess Anne - figured out they both enjoyed a drink during a "boozy" lunch together.

He said: "First actual date, just went out for lunch locally. And ended up being quite a boozy one.

"Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start."

The 44-year-old former Gloucester star player met Zara - the niece of King Charles - in Sydney, Australia in 2003 during the sport's World Cup, when he had gone out for a beer to drown his sorrows after being dropped for the country's semi-final against France.

Mike had played in the quarter-final win over Wales, and while he wasn't selected by coach Sir Clive Woodward for the semi-final victory over France, he returned to the starting line-up for the historic final win over Australia.

Speaking on ITV reality show 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' - which is based in the Australian jungle - he explained: "I was at the World Cup, she was out watching.

"I got dropped from the semi-final. I was p***** off and so I went for a beer with another guy who got dropped and a guy who was over [in Sydney].

"They'd met her before and they introduced us and then got chatting.

"Best decision of Clive Woodward's life."

Mike - who broke his nose at least eight times throughout his playing career - recently admitted Zara's biggest concern about his time in the jungle is how loud he is when he eats.

He recently said: "Zara told me to go and be myself, which is all you can be. She said to go enjoy yourself and be yourself. Zara’s biggest worry is how loud I am when I eat.

"She will be very happy if someone comments about how loud I breathe when I eat because it’s always a point that she brings up. When your nose has been mangled as much as mine has it is just a by-product."