simple image diverse: GAVIN HENSON

Friday, January 7, 2011

GAVIN HENSON

(born 1 February 1982) is a Welsh rugby union player born in Pencoed, south Wales, who plays for Saracens in the Aviva Premiership and has been capped for the Wales national team. He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales team which achieved Grand Slams in the Six Nations Championshipin 2005 and 2008. He has also played for the British and Irish Lions, touring in 2005 to New Zealand but has never appeared at a World Cup.

Henson has played in a variety of positions including fly-half, fullback and inside centre. After an extended spell out of the national side, including missing the 2007 Rugby World Cup, he was recalled by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, being included in the squad to play against South Africa.

Henson has two children from his relationship with his former partner, the singer Charlotte Church.

His relationship with singer Charlotte Church has been well covered by the media in the United Kingdom. On 20 September 2007, Church gave birth to a daughter named Ruby Megan Henson. On 11 January 2009, Church gave birth to the couple's second child, a son named Dexter Lloyd Henson.The baby weighed 7 lb 5oz. Henson was excused from a 13 December 2008 Heineken Cup match against Benetton Treviso because Church was due to deliver about a month prematurely; however, this did not happen. On 31 May 2010 Henson and Church announced that their relationship was over, only two months after they had announced their engagement.

Henson has appeared in advertisements for several companies, including Nike pro, Matalan, and for one of the Wales national team sponsors, Brains brewery.

On 10 December 2007, Henson was charged, along with three other men, with disorderly conduct after alleged "rowdy" behaviour while they were travelling on the 19:37 First Great Western train from London Paddington to Cardiff Central on 2 December 2007. They had been summoned to appear at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on 14 January 2008, but the case against Henson was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service due to insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

On 1 April 2009, it was reported on the BBC that Henson was cautioned by police"in relation to the incident" following an investigation of assault at a premises in Cardiff's St Mary's Street on 15 February.

In 2009 Mike Turner of the Celtic Crusaders (who play in Super League) stated that if Henson ever thought of switching to rugby league the club would be happy to talk to him.Since this time Henson has made no official statement on the subject, shown any intent with regards to joining a Super League club or held any talks with the Crusaders, although he regularly attended their matches in 2009.

In September 2010 he featured in the ITV1 outdoor series 71 Degrees North, a challenge show set in Norway in which he finished in 2nd place, losing out to Marcus Patric, as well as being a contestant on BBC1'sStrictly Come Dancing 's Eighth series partnered by Katya Virshilas(source:wikipedia)