Gavin Henson's Biography

Gavin Henson was born on 1 February 1982 in Bridgend.

He was voted International Rugby Board Young Player of the Year in 2001 and made his Wales debut against Japan at fly half the same year on the 10th June.

With the arrival of Iestyn Harris from rugby league, Gavin Henson lacked opportunities for the Welsh team under Graham Henry and Steve Hansen.

But after playing in a variety of positions, Henson secured his place as a regular at inside centre for Wales under coach Mike Ruddock, though he often plays fly-half for his club, the Neath-Swansea Ospreys.

Gavin Henson kicked a record-breaking 14 conversions against Japan from 14 attempts in Wales's 98-0 victory in November 2004.

During the Six Nations, which Wales won, in 2005 the press raised the question of Gavin Henson being spotted coming out of a nightclub two days after the French match. Coach, Ruddock responded:

"Gavin's got his private life and I respect that. I have spoken to him about his performances and the media side of things. I'm comfortable with his preparation technically and mentally. What he wants to do outside of rugby is up to him. I'm not in a position to decide whether he has a girlfriend but he needs to be mindful of his responsibilities and the impact this sort of stuff can have on the team."

On the subject of girlfriends, Charlotte Church's mother was reported as saying of Gavin Henson:

"He's fun, handsome and ambitious - what mother wouldn't like him going out with her daughter."

In 2005, Gavin Henson signed a new four-year deal with Celtic League leaders The Ospreys. Henson commented:

"Its fantastic to be re-signing with the Ospreys. I never really wanted to consider any other Welsh side, let alone look outside of Wales, and its great to know I'll be staying for the next four years of my career ..."

Gavin Henson was upset when he was left out of the side for the Lions first test against the All Blacks in 2005 by Sir Clive Woodward. Gavin Henson said, "I believe I'm good enough to be in that side and getting that news this week hurt a lot."

In October 2005, Gavin Henson's autobiography was published and proved very critical of Clive Woodward and Alastair Campbell.

Whilst many people agreed with his comments on the Lions management, several players and pundits were less happy about Henson's scatter-gun criticism, for example, when he wrote that several of the Lions squad "were in love with the sound of their own voices".

2006 proved problematic for Gavin Henson. He missed much of the season with a groin injury and a seven-week suspension for elbowing an opponent.

When he came back as a replacement for the injured Stephen Jones against Ireland in the Six Nations, his performance he felt had let the side down. Former Wales star, Jonathan Davies, said that Henson was "very, very poor, looked almost disinterested".

In May 2006 it was decided that Gavin Henson should not go on the Wales tour of Argentina because of his poor fitness.

Gavin Henson's rugby troubles continued in 2007. Henson picked up a knee injury against Sale and it hampered his chances of playing for Wales in the RBS Six Nations.

In July 2007, injuries continued to dog Gavin Henson and the BBC reported that he was being ruled out of Wales's World Cup squad because of struggling with an Achilles injury.

In December 2007, the British Transport Police announced that four men including Gavin Henson were to be prosecuted for public order offences following a disturbance on a London to Cardiff train on the evening of Sunday, 2 December.

In the Six Nations in 2008, Gavin Henson was an integral part of the Wales side that secured the grand slam.

In January 2009, Charlotte Church gave birth to a boy, Dexter Lloyd Henson, a brother for Charlotte and Gavin's daughter Ruby Megan Henson.

In February 2009, Gavin Henson was ruled out of Wales's opening Six Nations match against Scotland with a calf strain.

Although Gavin Henson was able to take part in the later stages of the 6 Nations, at the end of March 2009, he was hit by injury once more whilst playing for the Ospreys.

Gavin Henson and Charlotte Church got engaged when he proposed to her the day after they celebrated her 24th birthday in February 2010.

However, on 2 June 2010, it was reported that Gavin Henson and Charlotte Church had broken up.

In September 2010, Gavin Henson became a celebrity on Strictly Come Dancing. He was paired with Katya Virshilas.

Gavin and Katya narrowly missed out on appearing in the final of Strictly Come Dancing, coming fifth.

Whilst Gavin Henson was still taking part in Strictly Come Dancing it was announced that he had signed for Saracens from Ospreys until the end of the 2010/11 season.

Gavin Henson's stint at Saracens did not last long. In February 2011 he joined French giants Toulon, where he joined the likes of Jonny Wilkinson.

However, Henson's stay at Toulon proved very short-lived.

In August 2011, Gavin Henson underwent surgery after dislocating a bone in his right wrist, which he endured during Wales's 19-9 victory over England.

In October 2011, Gavin Henson joined the Cardiff Blues.

Since then he has played for London Welsh, Bath and Dragons. On 3 May 2019, it was reported that he was leaving Dragons.

In May 2019, Gavin Henson got engaged to Katie Wilson Mould.