International rugby star is left heartbroken as marriage to his childhood sweetheart collapses – and wife moves in with his close friend
International rugby star Jamie Ritchie has split from his childhood sweetheart and moved in with a close friend, the Daily Mail has revealed.
The 29-year-old former Scotland captain recently announced he would be returning to his homeland following the end of his marriage to long-term partner Millie.
Millie Ritchie, also 29, moved in with one of her best friends who had split from her husband.
It is understood the two couples had previously socialized together frequently before both marriages collapsed.
The Ritchies’ marriage is understood to have ended abruptly last summer, just days before the couple moved to the south of France together.
They were in the final stages of preparing for the move after Ritchie agreed to leave Edinburgh for a new contract with French side USA Perpignan.
The Ritchies even packed up the entire contents of their city home to send to storage or take them to France in a van.
They had also set up a new home in southwestern France but decided to leave instead.
International rugby star Jamie Ritchie and childhood sweetheart Millie have split
The couple, who had been together since the age of 15 and got married in 2021, abruptly ended their marriage last year as they were about to move to the southwest of France.
The 29-year-old former Scotland captain recently announced that he would return to his homeland after the end of his marriage with Millie.
Just days after their separation, Ritchie traveled alone to Perpignan, leaving Millie and her family in Scotland.
Ritchie had enjoyed a hugely successful first year at his new club but recently stunned his bosses by announcing his intention to leave the team while he was still under contract to return to Scotland, which he blamed on a ‘really difficult period’.
In a video released for Perpignan’s fans, the actor explained: ‘This was a really difficult decision to make.’
His statement then turned personal and he continued: ‘The club was very welcoming, as were the fans, but this was a personal decision I made to be closer to my children and family.’
Ritchie is expected to play for Glasgow Warriors next season.
The couple were childhood sweethearts and got engaged while still in their teens and finally married in 2021.
Before their split, Ritchie and Millie were highly visible publicly as a couple, routinely presenting a united front on social media and regularly posing for cheerful pitchside photos.
It is understood Ritchies and the other couple first met several years ago.
The two couples quickly became close and Millie’s new partner is thought to have been a mentor to the athlete and they shared business interests.
Millie was also in business with a new partner, but her husband quit after playing his last game for Edinburgh.
Shortly after, she made her final appearance on Ritchie’s Instagram profile. This was in a post he made to celebrate his departure from Edinburgh and thank his fans.
Shortly after Ritchie stopped sharing photos of his wife online, Millie changed her profile photo from a photo with her longtime husband to a photo without him.
The pair first met when she was 15 and asked for his number during a chance encounter at Heathrow Terminal 5. Millie pursued an undergraduate course in Business Administration at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and took time off to start a family.
A Scottish rugby source said: ‘Unlike other young players who like to party and attract girls’ attention at this stage of their careers, Jamie has embraced and enjoyed being a family man from a young age. But maybe he was too young.”
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The couple were in the final stages of preparing for the move after Ritchie agreed to join French side USA Perpignan. Millie moves in with her estranged husband’s close friend
Ritchie spent only a year in France following the end of his marriage. Announcing his return to Scotland at the end of the season, he said: ‘The club was very welcoming, as were the fans, but it was a personal decision I made to be closer to my children and family.’
The Ritchies, the other couple and Scottish Rugby declined to comment. US Perpignan has been approached for comment.
Ritchie’s departure comes after former Scotland rugby team-mate Stuart Hogg was forced to hand back his MBE for his behavior during the marital separation.
Hogg, 33, was banned from approaching or contacting his estranged wife Gillian for five years after she pleaded guilty to domestic abuse charges two years ago.
He also admitted to tracking her movements and sending her disturbing messages.
