Stacey Giggs: who is Ryan Giggs’ ex-wife, when did he have an affair with his brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha?

It was an infamous scandal that resulted in a family feud, countless front pages and a Celebrity Big Brother star.

Ryan Giggs had a eight-year affair with his brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha.

And while his marriage to wife Stacey survived the pair ultimately divorced in 2017.

But who is Stacey Giggs, are Ryan and Rhodri Giggs on speaking terms, when was Natasha Giggs on Celebrity Big Brother, and how did it all end up as the subject of a Paddy Power advert?

NationalWorld takes a look back at how the high-profile saga and what the aftermath was.

Who is Stacey Giggs?

Giggs married his long-term partner Stacey Cooke, 43, in 2007.

However in 2011 former Miss Wales and ex-Big Brother star Imogen Thomas was at the centre of a super injunction scandal, when a married footballer applied to the high court to prevent details of an affair being made public.

But Giggs was named not only on Twitter, but in the House of Commons by MP John Hemming, who used parliamentary privilege to name him as the footballer.

Later that year the affair with Natasha Giggs was also revealed.

However, it wasn’t until 2017 that Giggs and Stacey divorced after he was linked with PR executive Kate Greville.

At the time of the divorce James Brown, a partner with Hall Brown Family Law who was acting for the mother-of-two, said: "Mrs Giggs’ primary focus has always been and will continue to be the welfare of her family.

"Her only interest is in bringing these events to as swift and amicable a conclusion as possible, so that she and her family can move on."

After the pair divorced she went on to start a relationship with The Wanted’s Max George.

However, in August it was revealed the pair had split.

The All Time Low singer, 33, is now reported to be dating his Strictly co-star Maisie Smith, 21.

What happened with the Natasha Giggs affair?

In 2011, the eight-year affair between Giggs and his sister-in-law, who was represented by Max Clifford, was revealed in a newspaper.

She said she had met Giggs at a Manchester bar in March 2003 while Stacey – then his fiancée – was pregnant with their first child, and had a brief fling, but after they broke it off she began seeing his brother Rhodri.

However, they resumed their relationship the following year.

Among the revelations was that she had aborted Ryan’s baby just weeks before marrying his brother.

Adding to the shocking betrayal, Rhodri found out about the affair when he saw a copy of the newspaper, something his estranged wife later admitted was “unforgivable”.

She had gone to Spain with her children, and it was her mum who took a copy of the newspaper and a letter from her to Rhodri.

Natasha is reported to have said: “I was such a coward. But I couldn’t bear to tell Rhodri in person because it would have killed me to witness the terrible pain I caused him.”

What has Rhodri Giggs said about it?

Giggs, who was also a footballer playing and then managing Salford City as well as playing for Jet2 Allstars, has since spoken out about the heartache the affair caused.

The brothers haven’t spoken in years, and he and Natasha went on to divorce.

However, he said in an interview with This Morning: “6am her mum and sister knocked on my door and presented the paper and a letter.

“She had gone to Spain, her phone was disconnected.

“I couldn’t get hold of Natasha and Ryan denied it. It was bizarre, whole different kind of emotions, numbness, shock, disbelief.

“I said to him I had texts and pictures and that’s when he admitted it”

When asked what his brother had said when he went to see him weeks later, Rhodri replied that Ryan had told him: “It was about sex nothing more nothing less.”

What happened with the Paddy Power advert?

In 2019, Rhodri starred in an advert for betting firm Paddy Power. The tongue-in-cheek video entitled Loyalty is dead, live for rewards poked fun at the affair scandal. In the advert, which makes several references to it, Rhodri is seen drinking out of a Manchester City mug.

He also watches Wales lose on TV before smirking at the camera when a commentator says “questions will be asked of the manager”.

Rhodri is also seen driving a sports car and ordering champagne instead of a pint of bitter.

Ultimately the advert, which received five complaints, was banned by the Advertising Standards Agency who said it was irresponsible because it glamorised gambling.

After it was banned Rhodri took to Twitter to say: “I don’t know who the hell would want to ban it, do you?”

Speaking in an interview with Good Morning Britain after he made the advert, Rhodri explained why he did it, saying it was a “bit of fun”.

He said: “I’ve moved on it says like I’ve forgiven him - I forgave him a couple of years ago to be honest.

He added that “negativity is not healthy to move on”

When asked if some members of his family thought he had overstepped the mark he responded: “I think he overstepped the mark I don’t think I did. What I did was funny, what he did was a car crash.”

However, he said that although the pair had not spoken: “If we bump into each other I’m sure it would be amicable.”

When was Natasha Giggs on Celebrity Big Brother?

She appeared in the 2012 series and was the second contestant to be voted out.

Her exit from the house came after she lost out on a public vote to Nicola McLean.

Professor Green’s Read all about it played as she left the house and made her way to the podium.

During her time on the show, she said of the affair with her brother-in-law: “I’m not going to hide away from it, I can’t forever from what I did, the only thing I can say is sorry but there is only so many times you can say sorry before you think, ‘come on, let’s move on from this’.”

What happened with the Ryan Giggs trial?

Giggs had been on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of controlling or coercive behaviour between August 2017 and November 2020,towards his ex partner Kate Greville.

He was also accused of headbutting her and assaulting Ms Greville’s sister, Emma, by elbowing her in the jaw, during a row at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester on 1 November 2020.

He denied the charges.

During his trial Giggs gave evidence in his defence where he agreed that his reputation was infidelity was justified. He also said that in his relationships, up to and including Ms Greville, he had not been faithful.

Jurors first went out to consider their verdicts late on the afternoon of 23 August.

The jury of 12 was later reduced to 11 after one juror became sick and was discharged.

The judge discharged the jury on Wednesday 31 August after it failed to reach verdicts. Lawyers will now have to consider the public interest of a retrial, but any further trial would only take place many months from now.

Giggs was released on bail until a hearing on next week.