Mike Tindall told of his and wife Zara's special romantic connection to Australia ahead of his stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
The former England rugby player, whose wife Zara is a granddaughter of the late Queen and a niece of King Charles, has arrived Down Under ready for the start of the show in just over a week's time. It is the first time that a member of the Royal Family ever has taken part in the show, which takes place in the middle of the Australian outback. And on arriving in Brisbane in time for the series, Mike reminisced how he and Zara, who married in 2011, first met in Australia in 2003.
He said: "Australia is a special place yeah I met Zara in Sydney. There is no holiday planned at the moment afterwards. If there was I wouldn't tell you either!"
The couple first met in 2003 at the Manly Wharf bar in Sydney while Mike was playing for England during that year's Rugby World Cup and Zara was on a gap year.
Mike had been drowning his sorrows after being dropped from the team and they happened to be in the same bar - with some crediting Prince Harry as introducing them.
It is believed that Mike got Zara's number from his teammate Austin Healy and they kept in touch, becoming 'official' in 2004.
Now they've been married for 11 years and have three children - Mia, Lena and Lucas.
Meanwhile, speaking for the first time about signing up Tindall, 44, who helped England win the 2003 Rugby World Cup said: "It should be good fun, why not? It is always worth a go isn't it."
Told it was the first big reality series a royal had done since It's A Knockout, he added: "No one said that when I did Bear Grylls and The Jump and I just do things I think will be fun.
And told he could be King Mike of the jungle before Charles had his coronation he laughed and said: "I am not really thinking about that to be honest."
Turning to discuss the show and what he will miss whilst in camp, he said: "Hanger is always going to be the biggest thing to worry about, but I have also got three kids so going without sleep goes with the territory. Again you are stepping into something you don't know.
"The family I will miss the most of course. This will probably be the longest time I have been away and then not having communication, that will be the hardest bit. But also you get your head around what you are doing and try to win some stars. I want to win stars because I want to eat."
Before signing up he also took advice from former contestants and admitted he had been "on the fence' for a while before agreeing to sign up.
Speaking as he waited for his bags at Brisbane airport, he said: "We will find out if I'm good with snakes won't we? I hope I will be good at the trials but you don't know what you are going to get.
"I have spoken to James Haskell about it. He was one of the guys who said you should do it so I took some advice from him. Nick Knowles is a good mate of mine too so I have spoken. to a few people.
"I was always on the fence but I do think it will be good fun at the end of the day. That is the thing, I like groups of people and I like things that could be good fun. So let's see, I might regret it."
Tindall joins a host of other stars isolating on the Gold Coast ahead of the series including radio DJ Chris Moyles, Love Island star Olivia Attwood and soap stars Sue Cleaver and Owen Warner.
The new series kicks off on November 6 on ITV.
