Revealed: Former Scotland rugby star Stuart Hogg had a secret three-year affair with a glamorous older woman while abusing his ex-wife

Stuart Hogg had a secret three-year affair with a glamorous older woman while abusing his ex-wife, MailOnline can reveal.

Former Scotland rugby captain Hogg, 32, met Geordie-born mother-of-three Jilly O’Donnell, 48, shortly after signing for Exeter Chiefs in 2019.

Jilly, a beautician and paddleboard instructor then living in Exmouth, Devon, told friends that their affair only became intimate after he told her that his marriage to Gillian Hogg was effectively over and that they ‘weren’t a real couple’ and but stayed together for a while. ‘image’.

But that claim unraveled in November 2023 when Gillian gave birth to their fourth child – days later the rugby great revealed he was dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 32.

By the time Leonna became pregnant with Hogg’s fifth child in August, Hogg had cut off all contact with Jilly.

Former Scotland rugby international Stuart Hogg has pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges against his ex-wife

Former Scotland rugby captain Hogg, 32, met Geordie-born mother-of-three Jilly O’Donnell, 48, (pictured) shortly after signing for Exeter Chiefs in 2019

The rugby player admitted a charge of domestic abuse under section one of the Domestic Abuse Scotland Act in relation to ex-wife Gillian

The rugby star is now in a relationship with former jockey Leonna Mayor, 32, (pictured), who has promised to stand by him

This week, former Scotland rugby captain Hogg pleaded guilty to domestic violence against Gillian between 2019 and 2024 by verbally abusing her, tracking her movements and bombarding her with unwanted text messages.

The court heard Hogg’s ‘behavior deteriorated’ when the couple moved from Glasgow to Devon and he berated his wife for ‘not being fun’ as he continued to drink with colleagues.

He sometimes sent ‘over 200 text messages within a few hours despite being asked to leave her alone’, which ‘resulted in Mrs Hogg having a panic attack’.

After reading his ex-wife’s claims, Jilly contacted police to say that she had also been abused by Hogg at the time and that he would repeatedly call her at anti-social hours, send her disturbing messages and repeatedly would contact her if she told him not to.

As a result of her statement, Hogg was charged with two offences: one charge of domestic violence against GIllian and one charge of conduct causing Jilly fear or anxiety.

Following a negotiation with prosecutors, Hogg pleaded guilty at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday to the charges relating to his ex-wife, while a not guilty plea was accepted in relation to Jilly.

He refused to apologize to Ms Hogg as he left court. He will be sentenced on December 5.

Speaking to MailOnline, a friend of Jilly’s said: ‘Stuart cheated on Gillian but completely manipulated Jilly in the same way he did Gillian.

‘He is the master of playing victim and manipulation.

Jilly, a beautician and paddleboard instructor then living in Exmouth, Devon, had a three-year affair with Hogg

The mother-of-three (pictured) told friends she only started her relationship with the Scottish rugby player when his marriage was effectively over

Stuart Hogg, 32, admitted the charge of domestic abuse on Monday, which occurred over a period of five years

Stuart Hogg’s girlfriend Leonna Mayor has shown off her growing baby bump on social media

‘He always told her that he and his wife were not a real couple and were only together for image and for the children. It wasn’t until he returned to Scotland that she discovered Gillian was pregnant, so obviously they were still together.

‘Jilly asked him so many times to stop harassing her, but he kept bombarding her with messages saying what a ‘terrible bastard’ she is.

‘When it became too much, she emailed Exeter Chiefs asking for help, but all they said was they didn’t want to interfere with the players’ personal lives.’

Hogg – who returned to Scotland in 2023 – was arrested on February 21 this year after becoming ‘belligerent’ after entering the family home in Hawick despite being told to leave.

After hearing about the case, Jilly contacted Gillian to confess to the relationship and offer to give a statement to the police and give a statement about the abuse she had experienced.

The friend said: ‘She contacted Gillian to tell her she had also been harassed by Stuart and offered to support her case.

‘When she made a statement to the police in support of Gillian, her evidence was so strong that they decided to press charges and also treat her as a victim.

‘When she saw Gillian’s case in the press, she immediately realized this was the same Stuart she had experienced.

“Without her reporting, they wouldn’t have been able to get a guilty plea.”

The father-of-four arrived at Selkirk Sheriff Court with his parents

Selkirk Sheriff Court heard Hogg admit sending 200 text messages within hours of the break-up of his marriage (Hogg pictured in September)

After Jilly heard about the case, she contacted Gillian to confess to the relationship and offer to give a statement to the police and give a statement about the abuse she had experienced.

Hogg and Gillian are now parting ways with the player under intense pressure to ‘do the decent thing’ and have his MBE – awarded for services to Rugby in the 2024 New Year’s Honors list – returned or revoked if he refuses.

While continuing the affair with Hogg, it was revealed that Jilly was secretly bombarded with flirty messages by Rihanna’s fiancé A$AP Rocky for months.

The 36-year-old even offered to fly Jilly 1,700 miles to Ukraine to meet him in a series of flirty Instagram posts.

Leonna, who now works as a TV racing pundit, is backing Hogg and has shared photos online of her growing baby bump and a scan showing she is expecting a boy.

She posted on I’m not worried about it” when asked if Hogg was a convicted domestic abuser.

In a stinging attack on Ms Hogg, she wrote: ‘Only her account. While she is the ‘victim’. Nothing has been published from his side yet.’

She also alleged that press coverage of the hearing contained lies and inaccuracies and said she had “made him seek help for his behavior.”

“I’m tired of judgmental comments from people who know only a very small percentage of the actual facts,” she said.

Hogg has retired from international rugby and now plays for French side Montpellier, although he is currently sidelined with a broken hand.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has spoken out to condemn any form of abuse.

He said: “I’m not going to comment on specific cases, especially one that is ongoing. But on behalf of Scottish Rugby we condemn any abuse.

“I’m not going to comment on that specific case, but we condemn any abuse, whether domestic, online or social, and that is something we strongly support.”