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 mum-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 fling only became intimate after he told her his marriage to Gillian Hogg was effectively over and they ‘weren’t a real couple’ who were only staying together for ‘image’.
But that claim unravelled in November 2023 when Gillian gave birth to their fourth child – days later the rugby ace revealed he was dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 32.
By the time Leonna fell pregnant with Hogg’s fifth child in August, Hogg had cut off all contact with Jilly.
The former Scottish rugby international Stuart Hogg has pleaded guilty to a charge of domestic abuse 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 relating to ex-wife Gillian
The rugby ace is now dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 32, (pictured) who has vowed to stick by him
This week, former Scotland rugby captain Hogg pleaded guilty to domestic abuse against Gillian between 2019 and 2024 by swearing at her, tracking her movements and bombarding her with unwanted text messages.
The court heard Hogg’s ‘behaviour deteriorated’ when the couple moved from Glasgow to Devon and he berated his wife for ‘not being fun’ as he went on drinking binges with colleagues.
He would send ‘in excess of 200 text messages in a few hours despite having been asked to leave her alone’ at times, which ‘led Mrs Hogg to have a panic attack’.
After reading claims from his former wife, Jilly contacted police to say she was also abused by Hogg during that time and that he would repeatedly phone her at anti-social hours, send her distressing messages and repeatedly contacted her when she told him not to.
As a result of her statement, Hogg was charged with two offences – one count of domestic abuse against GIllian and one count of engaging in a course of conduct that caused Jilly fear or alarm.
Following a negotiation with prosecutors, Hogg pleaded guilty to the charge relating to his ex wife at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday while a not guilty plea was accepted in relation to Jilly.
He refused to apologise to Mrs Hogg as he left court. He will be sentenced on December 5.
Speaking to MailOnline a friend of Jilly said: ‘Stuart was cheating on Gillian but completely manipulated Jilly in the same way he did Gillian.
‘He is the master at playing the victim and manipulation.
Jilly, a beautician and paddleboard instructor then living in Exmouth, Devon, had a three-year affair with Hogg
The mum-of-three (pictured) told friends she only embarked on her relationship with Scottish rugby player when his marriage was effectively over
Stuart Hogg, 32, admitted the charge of domestic abuse, which took place over a five-year period, on Monday
Stuart Hogg’s girlfriend Leonna Mayor has showed off her growing baby bump on social media
‘He always told her he and his wife weren’t a real couple and were only together for image and for the kids. It was only when he returned to Scotland that she discovered Gillian was pregnant so clearly they were still together.
‘Jilly asked him so many times to stop harassing her but he just kept bombarding her with messages saying what a ‘horrible c***’ she is.
‘When it got too much she emailed Exeter Chiefs to ask for help but they just said they wouldn’t get involved with players’ personal lives.’
Hogg – who moved back to Scotland in 2023 – was arrested on 21 February this year after he became ‘belligerent’ after entering the family home in Hawick despite being told to leave.
After learning about the case Jilly contacted Gillian to confess to the relationship and offer to give the police a statement and give a statement about the abuse she 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 they decided to press charges and treat her as a victim too.
‘When she saw Gillian’s case in the press she instantly realised that’s the same Stuart that she experienced.
‘Without her coming forward they wouldn’t have been able to secure a guilty plea.’
The father-of-four arrived at Selkirk Sheriff Court accompanied by his parents
Selkirk Sheriff Court heard Hogg admitted to sending 200 text messages in just a few hours following the break-up of his marriage (Hogg pictured in September)
After learning about the case Jilly contacted Gillian to confess to the relationship and offer to give the police a statement and give a statement about the abuse she experienced
Hogg and Gillian are now divorcing while the player is under intense pressure to ‘do the decent thing’ and hand back his MBE – awarded for services to Rugby in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list – or have it withdrawn if he refuses.
While continuing the affair with Hogg, it was revealed that Jilly had been 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 messages.
Leonna, who now works as a TV racing pundit, is standing by Hogg and has shared pictures online of her growing baby bump and a scan showing she is expecting a boy.
She posted on X to say ‘Nowhere near the full story here as there never is. I’m not worried about it’ when asked about Hogg being a convicted domestic abuser.
In a stinging attack on Mrs Hogg, she wrote: ‘Only her account. As she is the ‘victim’. Nothing from his side has been published yet’.
She also claimed that the press coverage of the hearing contained lies and inaccuracies and said she has ‘made him get help for his behaviours’.
‘I’m sick of the judging comments from people who know a very small percentage of the actual facts’, she said.
Hogg has retired from international rugby and now plays for French side Montpellier, though 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 any specific cases, especially one that’s still 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 that’s domestic, online, social, and that’s something we feel strongly about.’