Ryan Giggs & Stacey Giggs: The 8-Year Affair with His Brother's Wife
He had an eight-year affair with his own brother's wife. It destroyed two marriages and a family.
Key Facts
What Happened
Ryan Giggs is one of the greatest footballers in British history — a Manchester United legend who won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, and earned 64 caps for Wales. He married Stacey Cooke in 2007, and the couple had two children, Liberty and Zach. For a decade, they appeared to be one of football's most stable families. The truth was spectacularly different.
In 2011, a super-injunction (a UK court order preventing media from even mentioning the injunction's existence) was lifted, revealing that Giggs had been having an eight-year affair with Natasha, the wife of his younger brother Rhodri. The affair had begun in 2003 when Natasha met Ryan at a Manchester nightclub — while Stacey was pregnant with their first child. Natasha, who worked as an estate agent, used vacant properties to arrange secret liaisons. The affair continued even after Natasha married Rhodri in 2010.
The revelation was seismic. Ryan's father said he was 'ashamed' of his son. Rhodri cut all ties with his brother. The scandal became the biggest sports divorce story in UK tabloid history, dominating front pages for weeks. It also emerged that Giggs had had affairs with at least eight other women during his marriage, including Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas — the relationship that initially prompted the super-injunction.
Stacey filed for divorce in 2017, and the couple settled their £40 million financial battle out of court in November 2017. Stacey was awarded approximately half of Giggs' assets, reported to be around £20 million. The court papers cited that Giggs 'behaved in such a way that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the respondent.' The terms were kept confidential, but the settlement was one of the largest in British sports divorce history. Giggs later faced additional legal troubles when he was charged with controlling and coercive behavior against his next partner, Kate Greville.
Legal Breakdown: Hidden Assets
Super-Injunctions and Privacy in UK Divorce
Giggs famously obtained a super-injunction to prevent media from reporting his affair with Imogen Thomas. UK privacy law allows wealthy individuals to suppress media coverage of personal matters, but these orders are controversial and increasingly difficult to maintain in the age of social media. When the injunction was breached (ironically by a member of Parliament using parliamentary privilege), the floodgates opened. In divorce proceedings, super-injunctions can delay but rarely prevent the truth from emerging.
Behavior-Based Divorce in England
Stacey's divorce petition cited 'unreasonable behaviour' — one of the grounds for divorce under English law (prior to the no-fault divorce reforms of 2022). The court found that Giggs had 'behaved in such a way that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the respondent.' While England doesn't use infidelity to adjust financial settlements directly, unreasonable behavior can influence the court's exercise of discretion in asset division, particularly regarding conduct that is 'inequitable to disregard.'
The 'Stellar Contribution' Argument
In high-net-worth UK divorces, the wealthier spouse sometimes argues for a greater share based on 'stellar contribution' — the idea that exceptional talent or effort created the wealth and should be recognized. Giggs could have argued his football genius was a stellar contribution. However, UK courts have increasingly rejected this argument, and Stacey's legal team would have countered that her contribution as homemaker and primary caregiver was equally valuable. The out-of-court settlement at approximately 50/50 suggests neither side was confident in winning the stellar contribution argument.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Super-injunctions and privacy orders can delay exposure but rarely prevent it permanently. The truth tends to emerge eventually, often at the worst possible time.
- →Affairs with family members of your spouse create uniquely devastating damage that extends far beyond the marriage — entire families are destroyed.
- →In the UK, 'unreasonable behaviour' is a broad ground for divorce that encompasses infidelity, controlling behavior, and other marital misconduct.
- →Out-of-court settlements in high-net-worth divorces often result in approximately equal splits, even when one spouse earned significantly more — reflecting the legal principle that marriage is an equal partnership.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.