Disgraced former international rugby player Stuart Hogg will be stripped of his MBE by the King after admitting to domestically abusing his ex-wife.
The Scotsman, who played 100 times for his country, was spared jail last year having pleaded guilty to the abuse of his estranged wife Gillian over a five-year period.
Hogg’s plea came just months after he was awarded an MBE for services to rugby – but that title is now set to be stripped from him.
A notice in the Gazette released on Thursday read: ‘The King has directed that the appointment of Stuart William Hogg to be a Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 30 December 2023, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.’
The 33-year-old, now playing his rugby for Montpellier in France, admitted shouting, swearing and acting in an abusive manner towards Gillian at Selkirk Sheriff Court in November 2024.
Hogg served a community payback order rather than jail time after it was heard that, on one occasion, he bombarded Gillian with more than 200 messages in just a couple of hours.
Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, called the sentence ‘trivial’ at the time and said Hogg allegedly subjected his former partner to a ‘regime of terror for five years’.
The rugby star opened up about the ordeal for the first time in October, claiming that he ‘lost himself’ amid the breakdown of his marriage.
Disgraced former international rugby player Stuart Hogg will be stripped of his MBE by the King after admitting to domestically abusing his ex-wife
Hogg remains one of Scotland’s all-time leading try scorers, and was picked for three British & Irish Lions tours. His final international appearance came in 2023
The couple, who were married for nine years before their divorce, have four children together.
‘I was up to my eyeballs on antidepressants,’ Hogg told the Rugby Paper.
‘I didn’t know what was going on in life, whether I was making people happy or sad. I used alcohol to escape. I was purely existing.’
Having initially retired from the game ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Hogg reversed that decision in the summer of 2024 to sign for Montpellier after breaching a court order to avoid contact with his ex-wife.
He also moved on romantically with former jockey Leonna Mayor, 34, and the couple welcomed a child together, named Teddy, in February 2025.
However Mayor announced their split at the turn of this year with a post on Instagram.
It read: ‘Now seems as good a time as any – lots of you guys asking about my situation and life recently. I am no longer with Stuart.
‘I appreciate everyone’s genuine interest in our life. I’m not one to discuss other people’s lives so won’t add detail. We’ll just say it’s just me and Teddy.
‘It has been for a while now so I am in a position to be able to talk about our future with friends and family and those closest to us. New year. Fresh start. Me and the most precious thing. Lots of exciting things planned in life and work coming up.’
Hogg remains one of Scotland’s all-time leading try scorers, and was picked for three British & Irish Lions tours. His final international appearance came in 2023.