England rugby World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson married his long-term girlfriend, Shelley Jenkins, in a "secret" ceremony in the south of France yesterday.
The 34-year-old, his bride, 33, and only two guests including his mother, Philippa, were at the private wedding at the town hall in the Riviera resort of Bandol on Monday.
Local mayor Christian Palix, who officiated, confirmed it was a "small, intimate affair", saying Wilkinson was "an iconic figure in the sporting world and someone with great human qualities".
The couple met in 2005, just after Wilkinson split from Sky Sports presenter Diana Stewart.
It was just two years after Wilkinson became a national hero when he scored the last-minute drop goal against Australia which made England world champions.
Ms Jenkins, a scaffolding company heiress, had been working as a waitress in a cocktail bar in Magaluf, Majorca, with her twin sister Tracey.
Wilkinson and his new wife have been together ever since, and she moved to France with him when he joined Toulon in May 2009 after 12 years with Newcastle.
Wilkinson’s wedding came just two days after Toulon lost a crunch game to Toulouse 13-12, and the fly-half missed three kicks at the end.
But there was no sign of him being downhearted at the event, with Mr Palix saying: "I wish them great happiness in our town and to symbolise this great happiness, I offered them an olive.
"This is because an olive is a symbol of happiness, and because Jonny Wilkinson is not a man who drinks alcohol, not Bandol [the local wine], so the olives are preferable to grapes."
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Another source involved in the wedding said : "It was all carried out in conditions of utmost secrecy. They are a lovely couple who did not want to make a fuss."
Both Wilkinson and his new wife are well known in and around Toulon, where they are "both viewed with great respect", said Mr Palix.
The couple have both done their best to learn French and enjoy the Gallic pace of life. When he first moved to France, Wilkinson said he wanted to concentrate on getting his work-life balance right, explaining: "I was attracted by the beauty of so many new experiences – new team, new language, new region, living like that."
