Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has revealed that his retirement from rugby was an attempt to save his marriage, a decision he now considers “the biggest mistake of his life”.
Hogg, who ended his career in 2023 at the age of 31, shortly before the World Cup of that same year, resumed playing in 2024 after signing for the French club Montpellier, after a tumultuous period away from the sport.
In November 2024, the British and Irish Lions player admitted to having mistreated his wife Gillian, from whom he was separated, and was sentenced to a five-year non-harassment order and fined for breaching bail by repeatedly contacting his ex-partner.
Hogg declared that he abandoned his rugby career to try to save his marriage. At that moment, he didn’t know who he was. “I was up to my eyebrows in antidepressants. I didn’t know what was going on in life, if I was making people happy or sad. I used alcohol to escape. I simply existed.” The Doddie Aid bike ride from Scotland to Rome changed everything. For the first time since I retired, I felt part of a team again. I went back and told my father: ‘I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life’. «I’m in a better place mentally than I have been in years. I used to think being selfish was a strength, but I went too far. I hurt people. Now I am learning to be selfless for the right reasons: for my children, my partner, my team. I know I will never be the same Stuart Hogg as before, but I am okay with that. I have found peace.» Hogg, who won 100 matches with Scotland and played two test matches for the Lions, underwent Achilles surgery in April and has yet to play for Montpellier this season.I missed the excitement, the outfits, the jokes. I missed rugby more than I ever imagined.
Stuart Hogg
