Mike Tindall jokes his family is 'f****d' if children inherit Zara's competitive streak
Mike Tindall jokes his family is 'f****d' if children inherit Zara's competitive streak
Dorothy Reddin Mon, October 5, 2026 at 12:26 PM UTC
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| Source: GETTY
Mike Tindall has revealed that the competitive atmosphere in his household extends all the way to his children's bedtime routine, with the former rugby international admitting he deploys tackling techniques on his youngsters during races up the stairs.
The remarks came during a live recording at the Henley Literature Festival alongside James Haskell and Alex Payne, Mr Tindall's fellow presenters on the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby.
The trio used the festival appearance to discuss Mr Tindall's journey from Wakefield to Windsor Castle.
Mr Tindall, 47, told the audience: "Even if it's just a race upstairs to bed, there will be ankle taps. It might lead to a broken leg one day, but they will learn. Hopefully the children will turn out like us."
The father of Mia, 12, Lena, eight, and Lucas, five, also quipped: "And if they are as competitive as their mother, then we are all f****d!"
The ankle tap is a defensive tackling method used in rugby, where a player swipes at an opponent's ankles from behind to bring them down.
Mr Tindall employed the technique regularly during his playing career, which saw him earn 75 caps for England as a rugby union player.
His sporting achievements represented a significant departure from his upbringing in Yorkshire, where he was raised in a middle-class household.
Mike Tindall | Source: PA
His late father, Philip, worked as a bank manager at Barclays before Mr Tindall went on to become a Rugby World Cup winner with England.
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Mr Tindall, who appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, said this fighting spirit was something he inherited from his father.
Philip Tindall died two weeks before the festival appearance, having lived with Parkinson's disease for a quarter of a century.
The former England centre's path from his roots in Wakefield to the heart of the Royal Family has been a remarkable one.
| Source: GETTY
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He married Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, in Edinburgh in 2011, and has since become a familiar figure at royal engagements and on television.
Mr Tindall suggested his life story had all the ingredients for a drama series.
When asked about the prospect of such a programme by Mr Haskell, he replied: "It's the making of a great story isn't it?"
"Waiting for Netflix on that one," Mr Tindall joked.
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