Mike Tindall has spoken openly about the pain of watching his father fight Parkinson’s disease – describing the illness as “brutal” and saying it has left his dad a “shell” of the man he once was.
The former England rugby star, 47, made the emotional confession while appearing alongside his wife Zara at the Celebrity Golf Classic – an event held in aid of the Cure Parkinson’s charity.
“My dad is not doing great at the moment,” Mike told Hello! magazine. “Parkinson’s is brutal, and there is no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people.”
His father, a former player for Otley Rugby Union Football Club, has now been living with the disease for more than two decades – since 2003. Mike says those years have taken a devastating toll.
“After 23 plus years of the disease, it has quite honestly left him a shell of what he once was,” he said, “which is why I don’t want anyone else to see a parent or loved one suffer and have their quality of life decline so massively.”
The pair have always been extremely close. Mike has previously described him as “an absolutely unbelievable father” – a man whose rugby wisdom he credits as a driving force behind his own success on the pitch.
That close bond is the reason why Mike is so determined to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s research.
ZARA’S WORRY CLOSER TO HOME
While Mike watches his father’s health struggle, Zara has concerns of her own over her mother, Princess Anne.
The Princess Royal, 75, is due to travel to Greece from 22-24 May alongside her husband Sir Timothy Laurence for one of their rare joint overseas engagements in recent years.
The trip, tied to causes close to both their hearts given their shared naval connections, will see the couple visit a country with deep personal significance to the Royal Family – Greece being the birthplace of Anne’s late father, Prince Philip.
But according to an insider, Zara has been pushing for her mother to make the most of the trip and take a little time for herself.
“Zara’s worried about her mum’s health and is begging her stepdad to take her to Corfu for a few days of rest,” a source tells Woman’s Day. “Anne, of course, absolutely refuses and insists she has work to get on with back home, but Zara’s not giving up – and Sir Tim is quietly on her side.”
It is a familiar dynamic for those who know the Princess Royal well. Anne has long had a reputation for pushing through her schedule without pause, and persuading her to slow down is no easy task.
But with Sir Timothy reportedly lending his quiet support to Zara’s plea, it seems the women in the family may have an ally on their side.
For Zara, the concern is real – and, given what she and Mike are going through with his father, it’s no wonder her mother’s health is on her mind.
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