Gavin Henson
Encyclopedia
Gavin Lloyd Henson is a Welsh
rugby union
player, born in Pencoed
, South Wales
, currently playing for Cardiff Blues
.
He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales national team
which achieved Grand Slams
in the Six Nations Championship
in 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
.
Since September 2010, Henson has participated in three reality television series, 71 Degrees North
, Strictly Come Dancing
and The Bachelor
.
Henson has two children from his relationship with his former partner, singer Charlotte Church
.
, close to Bridgend
, Wales. Despite his Bridgend origins, he joined Swansea RFC
at the age of 18. He was presented with the International Rugby Board
's Young Player of the Year
award in 2001. During which time he had started paving the way to his international career by signing for the Wales A team. He made his international debut for Wales during June 2001 in a Test against Japan, coming off the bench. He then started his next match, at fly-half in a game against Romania in September. In November of that year he played for Wales A against Uruguay, scoring his first try in an international.
In 2003 regional rugby was launched in Wales, and Henson played for the Ospreys. He made his debut for the Ospreys as a substitute on 9 September 2003 in a match against Ulster
, scoring two tries and kicking both a penalty and conversion to score 15 points. He was moved to fly-half for the subsequent match against the Newport-Gwent Dragons, scoring 14 points from kicks. Henson return to the international field for Wales in 2003. He played twice, and was on the bench for two other Tests. He was capped against both the All Blacks and Romania.
Henson came to wider notice in 2004 with a series of excellent performances in Wales' autumn internationals against New Zealand
and South Africa
. Henson became a firm part of the Welsh starting lineup, and after playing at fullback in the second Test against Argentina and the first against South Africa, he played in the centres for the remainder of the season.
He remained on the team for the 2005 Six Nations championship. In Wales' opening fixture in February, at home to England, Henson gave an effective performance; making two tackles on Matthew Tait (earning Tait the nickname 'Henson's Handbag') and landing the match-winning points with a 48 m penalty kick and being named man of the match. Back in his club side, Henson was part of a team which took the Celtic League
cup: in the deciding match against Edinburgh
on 26 March 2005, he scored 24 of his side's 29 points.
In the northern hemisphere summer of the same year, Henson was a member of the Lions tour of New Zealand. He was "devastated not to be playing" in the first Test. When he was selected for the second test he was injured and could not play in the final test. A groin injury delayed his return to club rugby in the autumn of the year. Within months of his Ospreys return, Henson was cited for kicking and elbowing Leicester prop Alex Moreno
in a game against Leicester
on 19 December 2005. He was found not guilty of the kicking offence, but guilty of the elbowing. He was initially suspended for ten weeks and two days: this period was reduced on appeal to seven weeks. Following this suspension and a single game at club level, he returned to international rugby against Ireland.
In October 2005 Henson's My Grand Slam Year, was published. Comments about the Lions tour and remarks about other players ensured rapid publicity and Henson had to apologise to his team-mates. He was not selected in the Wales squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup by then coach Gareth Jenkins
, after he failed to prove his fitness after recovering from an Achilles tendon
injury.
Henson was recalled to the Welsh Squad by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, to play against South Africa shortly after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He then started for of all of Wales 2008 Six Nations Championship games, Wales then went on to win the Grand Slam for the second time in four seasons. Henson lost his first 6 Nations match which he started on the 21st of March 2009 as Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff 17–15, to win the Grand Slam.
Henson was named man of the match in the EDF cup Semi Final on 22 March 2008 when the Ospreys beat Saracens 30–3.
, announced that Henson planned to retire immediately from rugby and spend more time sailing. On 14 July 2009, Henson and the Ospreys issued a joint statement denying the player had any intention of quitting. Henson said, "I've certainly been having difficulties with the recurring injury but I have absolutely no intention of quitting the game".
In 2009 Mike Turner of the 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 the Boxing Day 2010 match against London Wasps
; his first competitive game since March 2009. After playing four games for Saracens, starting only one, Henson was released from his contract on 2 February 2011.
The same day, French sports newspaper L'Equipe
reported that Henson had met RC Toulonnais
head coach Philippe Saint-André
and club owner Mourad Boudjellal
, for lunch in Toulon
. The club, with their two first choice fly-halves out injured, had an available space in their squad under Top 14 regulations. Henson had commented while at Saracens that he was frustrated not to be playing in his preferred position. The following day he signed a five-month contract with RC Toulonnais. In April 2011, he was suspended for two weeks following an incident on a night out after a match against Toulouse, involving an alleged fight with his team-mates. After a hearing, RC Toulonnais President Boudjellal decided to reintegrate Henson back into the squad.
On 24 May 2011, Henson was released by RC Toulonnais.
On 4 June 2011, Henson played his first match for Wales in 2 years, starting against the Barbarians
, Henson put in a good performance, although he described his match as "showing glimpses of what he can do". The match was a loss to the Barbarians, with Isa Nacewa
scoring a try in the 79th minute, taking the score from 28-26 to Wales to 28-31 to the Barbarians.
After the Barbarian match, Henson was named in the 45-man preliminary world cup squad by Warren Gatland. On 11 August 2011, Henson started for Wales in a warmup test against rivals England at Millennium Stadium
, but left late in the first half after dislocating his wrist. The following day it was announced that surgery on his wrist would keep him out for six to eight weeks, and that he would not be available for the pool stages of the World Cup.
In October 2011, it was announced by his agent and subsequently various media outlets, that Henson had signed for the Cardiff Blues
. The club later confirmed the 8 month deal.
, a challenge show set in Norway
in which he finished in 2nd place, losing out to Marcus Patric
. He then featured as a contestant on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing 's eighth series
, partnered by Katya Virshilas
. In August 2011 a series, The Bachelor
, in which 25 young women battle it out on the French Riviera to win the heart of Henson "the Bachelor", began on Channel 5
. He has been criticized for these appearances in the press and by many rugby fans.
has been well covered by the media in the United Kingdom. On 20 September 2007, Church gave birth to a daughter, Ruby Megan Henson. On 11 January 2009, Church gave birth to the couple's second child, a son, Dexter Lloyd Henson. 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.
Henson chose Carriane Barrow to be his girlfriend on The Bachelor
.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, born in Pencoed
Pencoed
Pencoed , is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom, mid-way between Wales's two largest cities of Cardiff and Swansea.Lying on the Ewenny River it has a population of around 11,000...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, currently playing for Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
.
He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales national team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
which achieved Grand Slams
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
in the Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
in 2005
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
and 2008
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
. He has also played for the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
, touring in 2005 to New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
but has never appeared at a World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
.
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
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, he was recalled by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, being included in the squad to play against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
Since September 2010, Henson has participated in three reality television series, 71 Degrees North
71 Degrees North
71 Degrees North is a TV series on ITV which began broadcasting on 11 September 2010. 10 celebrities must battle it out to see who will make it to the 71st parallel north, with challenges along the way. Mazda formerly sponsored the show, Continental tires are the current sponsors...
, Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
and The Bachelor
The Bachelor UK (series 4)
The Bachelor UK 2011 is the fourth series of the reality television series The Bachelor , featuring Gavin Henson as "The Bachelor". The show was off-air for 6 years in the UK after the show previously aired on BBC Three, but was aired on Channel 5 between 19 August 2011 to 28 October...
.
Henson has two children from his relationship with his former partner, singer Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
.
Swansea/Ospreys: 1999-2009
Born in Pencoed, Henson played rugby for his school, Brynteg ComprehensiveBrynteg Comprehensive School
Brynteg Comprehensive School is one of the largest secondary schools in Wales. It is located on Ewenny Road in the town of Bridgend, Wales...
, close to Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, Wales. Despite his Bridgend origins, he joined Swansea RFC
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
at the age of 18. He was presented with the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
's Young Player of the Year
IRB Awards
The IRB Awards are given out annually by the International Rugby Board, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievement in the sport. They were first awarded in 2001...
award in 2001. During which time he had started paving the way to his international career by signing for the Wales A team. He made his international debut for Wales during June 2001 in a Test against Japan, coming off the bench. He then started his next match, at fly-half in a game against Romania in September. In November of that year he played for Wales A against Uruguay, scoring his first try in an international.
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
, scoring two tries and kicking both a penalty and conversion to score 15 points. He was moved to fly-half for the subsequent match against the Newport-Gwent Dragons, scoring 14 points from kicks. Henson return to the international field for Wales in 2003. He played twice, and was on the bench for two other Tests. He was capped against both the All Blacks and Romania.
Henson came to wider notice in 2004 with a series of excellent performances in Wales' autumn internationals against New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. Henson became a firm part of the Welsh starting lineup, and after playing at fullback in the second Test against Argentina and the first against South Africa, he played in the centres for the remainder of the season.
He remained on the team for the 2005 Six Nations championship. In Wales' opening fixture in February, at home to England, Henson gave an effective performance; making two tackles on Matthew Tait (earning Tait the nickname 'Henson's Handbag') and landing the match-winning points with a 48 m penalty kick and being named man of the match. Back in his club side, Henson was part of a team which took the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
cup: in the deciding match against Edinburgh
Edinburgh Gunners
Edinburgh Rugby is one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 League along with Glasgow Warriors, their oldest rivals...
on 26 March 2005, he scored 24 of his side's 29 points.
In the northern hemisphere summer of the same year, Henson was a member of the Lions tour of New Zealand. He was "devastated not to be playing" in the first Test. When he was selected for the second test he was injured and could not play in the final test. A groin injury delayed his return to club rugby in the autumn of the year. Within months of his Ospreys return, Henson was cited for kicking and elbowing Leicester prop Alex Moreno
Alex Moreno
Alejandro Cristian Moreno is an Argentine rugby union player. He plays as a prop.He currently plays for Leeds Carnegie in the Guinness Premiership, which he joined in 2009 from Rugby Calvisano.-External links:**...
in a game against Leicester
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
on 19 December 2005. He was found not guilty of the kicking offence, but guilty of the elbowing. He was initially suspended for ten weeks and two days: this period was reduced on appeal to seven weeks. Following this suspension and a single game at club level, he returned to international rugby against Ireland.
In October 2005 Henson's My Grand Slam Year, was published. Comments about the Lions tour and remarks about other players ensured rapid publicity and Henson had to apologise to his team-mates. He was not selected in the Wales squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup by then coach Gareth Jenkins
Gareth Jenkins
Gareth Jenkins is a former Welsh rugby union footballer, and former head coach of the Welsh national team. After a long and distinguished career at Llanelli RFC, Jenkins was appointed Wales coach in 2006, succeeding Mike Ruddock...
, after he failed to prove his fitness after recovering from an Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
injury.
Henson was recalled to the Welsh Squad by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, to play against South Africa shortly after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He then started for of all of Wales 2008 Six Nations Championship games, Wales then went on to win the Grand Slam for the second time in four seasons. Henson lost his first 6 Nations match which he started on the 21st of March 2009 as Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff 17–15, to win the Grand Slam.
Henson was named man of the match in the EDF cup Semi Final on 22 March 2008 when the Ospreys beat Saracens 30–3.
Sabbatical: 2009-2010
On 13 July 2009, British tabloid newspaper, The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, announced that Henson planned to retire immediately from rugby and spend more time sailing. On 14 July 2009, Henson and the Ospreys issued a joint statement denying the player had any intention of quitting. Henson said, "I've certainly been having difficulties with the recurring injury but I have absolutely no intention of quitting the game".
In 2009 Mike Turner of the Crusaders (who play in Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
) stated that if Henson ever thought of switching to rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
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.
Comeback: 2010-present
On 27 October 2010, Ospreys released a statement from Managing Director, Mike Cuddy, stating that Henson would be released from his contract with the province with immediate effect, and that he would be returning to rugby with the English club Saracens. Henson had not played professional Rugby for 18 months before this announcement following his period of unpaid leave from the Ospreys. Henson had been reported as having trained with Saracens two days prior to this announcement on 25 October 2010, leading to speculation that the return to professional rugby was imminent. Henson's agent, Matt Ginvert, stated that Henson will return to Rugby after completing his commitments with the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing programme, and Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths said that he saw no reason why Henson would not compete for the club before Christmas 2010. Henson signed for Saracens in October 2010, making his debut at Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in the Boxing Day 2010 match against London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
; his first competitive game since March 2009. After playing four games for Saracens, starting only one, Henson was released from his contract on 2 February 2011.
The same day, French sports newspaper L'Equipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
reported that Henson had met RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
head coach Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Georges Saint-André is a former French rugby union footballer who earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997, 34 of them as captain. His preferred position was wing but he could also play at Fullback. After retiring, Saint-André found success as a rugby coach in both England and...
and club owner Mourad Boudjellal
Mourad Boudjellal
Mourad Boudjellal is a French businessman, the proprietor of comic publisher Soleil Productions.He was born on 5 June 1960 in Toulon, France. He is currently the President of the Toulon Rugby Union club.-References:...
, for lunch in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. The club, with their two first choice fly-halves out injured, had an available space in their squad under Top 14 regulations. Henson had commented while at Saracens that he was frustrated not to be playing in his preferred position. The following day he signed a five-month contract with RC Toulonnais. In April 2011, he was suspended for two weeks following an incident on a night out after a match against Toulouse, involving an alleged fight with his team-mates. After a hearing, RC Toulonnais President Boudjellal decided to reintegrate Henson back into the squad.
On 24 May 2011, Henson was released by RC Toulonnais.
On 4 June 2011, Henson played his first match for Wales in 2 years, starting against the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
, Henson put in a good performance, although he described his match as "showing glimpses of what he can do". The match was a loss to the Barbarians, with Isa Nacewa
Isa Nacewa
Isakeli Nacewa is a New Zealand-born rugby union footballer of Fijian descent. He is a utility back and represents Leinster Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup competitions. He previously represented the Blues in the Super Rugby competition and Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup...
scoring a try in the 79th minute, taking the score from 28-26 to Wales to 28-31 to the Barbarians.
After the Barbarian match, Henson was named in the 45-man preliminary world cup squad by Warren Gatland. On 11 August 2011, Henson started for Wales in a warmup test against rivals England at Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, but left late in the first half after dislocating his wrist. The following day it was announced that surgery on his wrist would keep him out for six to eight weeks, and that he would not be available for the pool stages of the World Cup.
In October 2011, it was announced by his agent and subsequently various media outlets, that Henson had signed for the Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
. The club later confirmed the 8 month deal.
Reality television
In September 2010 he featured in the ITV1 outdoor series 71 Degrees North71 Degrees North
71 Degrees North is a TV series on ITV which began broadcasting on 11 September 2010. 10 celebrities must battle it out to see who will make it to the 71st parallel north, with challenges along the way. Mazda formerly sponsored the show, Continental tires are the current sponsors...
, a challenge show set in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in which he finished in 2nd place, losing out to Marcus Patric
Marcus Patric
Marcus Patric is an English actor, possibly best known for the role of Ben Davies in the British soap opera Hollyoaks and its spin-offs Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City, which he won after entering the televised open-audition "Hollyoaks: On The Pull".-Filmography:*2000 - 2005...
. He then featured as a contestant on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing 's eighth series
Strictly Come Dancing (series 8)
The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won the competition...
, partnered by Katya Virshilas
Katya Virshilas
Katya Virshilas is a Lithuanian-Canadian dancer and actress.-Life and career:Virshilas was born in Lithuania to a Jewish family. She subsequently moved to Israel at age six, and to Vancouver, Canada at thirteen....
. In August 2011 a series, The Bachelor
The Bachelor UK (series 4)
The Bachelor UK 2011 is the fourth series of the reality television series The Bachelor , featuring Gavin Henson as "The Bachelor". The show was off-air for 6 years in the UK after the show previously aired on BBC Three, but was aired on Channel 5 between 19 August 2011 to 28 October...
, in which 25 young women battle it out on the French Riviera to win the heart of Henson "the Bachelor", began on Channel 5
Channel 5
-In the Americas:*Channel 5 – Rosario, Argentine television station, founded in 1964, which broadcasts from the city of Rosario*Great Belize Television, Belize television station, known as "Channel 5", founded in 1991 and broadcasting from Belize City...
. He has been criticized for these appearances in the press and by many rugby fans.
Personal life
His relationship with singer Charlotte ChurchCharlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
has been well covered by the media in the United Kingdom. On 20 September 2007, Church gave birth to a daughter, Ruby Megan Henson. On 11 January 2009, Church gave birth to the couple's second child, a son, Dexter Lloyd Henson. Henson was excused from a 13 December 2008 Heineken Cup match against Benetton Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso are an Italian professional rugby union club currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.They are based in Treviso in Veneto, and owned by the Benetton clothing company....
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
Matalan
Matalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
, 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
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
after alleged "rowdy" behaviour while they were travelling on the 19:37 First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
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
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
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.
Henson chose Carriane Barrow to be his girlfriend on The Bachelor
The Bachelor
The Bachelor is an American reality television dating game show debuting in 2002 on ABC. For all seasons, the show is hosted by veteran television personality, one-time game show host and news anchor Chris Harrison...
.
Honours
- Wales U16
- Wales U18
- Wales U19
- Wales Development XV
- Wales A
- Wales U21
- Wales
- British & Irish Lions
Filmography
- 71 Degrees North (ITV, 2010)
- Strictly Come Dancing (BBC, 2010)
- The Bachelor (Channel 5, 2011)