An ex-mistress of the disgraced rugby star Stuart Hogg has revealled that she tried to warn his new girlfriend about him.
Mother-of-three Jilly O’Donnell, 48, has claimed that she contacted jockey Leonna Mayor, who is currently pregnant with Hogg’s fifth child, to warn her about his manipulative and controlling behaviour but she dismissed her.
Just this week the former Scotland rugby captain Hogg pleaded guilty to domestic abuse against his wife, Gillian Hogg between 2019 and 2024 by swearing at her, tracking her movements and bombarding her with unwanted text messages.
Jilly, who had been having an affair with Hogg for more than three year, testified in court that she had experienced similar behaviour from him when she tried to end their relationship, after she found out he was still with his wife.
Now Jilly has claimed that Hogg has been engaging with her on social media by liking all her photos, despite being in a new relationship with Mayor.
The former Scottish rugby international Stuart Hogg has pleaded guilty to a charge of domestic abuse against his ex-wife
The mum-of-three (pictured) told friends she only embarked on her relationship with Scottish rugby player when his marriage was effectively over
The rugby ace is now dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 32, (pictured) who has vowed to stick by him
‘Stuart told me this time was different and he had to do what he was told, so he had blocked me at Leonna’s request which was fine. I think Leonna actually saved him. I wished him well.
‘The morning I woke up he had obviously unblocked my account and had been through liking all my pictures. I thought, ‘no you’ve done this again”, she told the Mirror.
She continued: ‘I contacted Leonna to warn her. He put a post on social media saying his account saying someone had impersonated him. Again he was the victim. I told him to just take responsibility for his actions and leave me alone. It was a betrayal, but she dismissed it.’
The affair lasted for more than three years after he had promised the beautician his marriage to his wife, Gillian Hogg, was effectively over and they ‘weren’t a real couple’ but were only staying together for ‘image’.
However, it ended bitterly when Jilly discovered – through a TV interview – that Hogg was expecting a fourth child with his wife, and decided to leave him, causing an onslaught of messages saying what a ‘horrible c***’ she was.
Jilly also reached out to Gillian to apologise and confess that she did not know the couple were still together during the affair.
She said: ‘Gillian was very gracious. She actually said she was sorry I had been through this. She was on holiday with her sister so I gave her my email and said I was happy to speak to her or the police about what I’d been through.’
The rugby player admitted a charge of domestic abuse under section one of the Domestic Abuse Scotland Act relating to ex-wife Gillian
Speaking to MailOnline Jilly said: ‘Stuart was cheating on Gillian but completely manipulated me in the same way he did Gillian.
‘He is the master at playing the victim and manipulation. His actions and behaviour have caused so much hurt and anger to so many women. He knows that but somehow, he will still end up being the victim.’
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.
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 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.
She said: ‘I contacted Gillian to tell her I had also been harassed by Stuart and offered to support her case.
‘When I made a statement to the police in support of Gillian, my evidence was so strong they decided to press charges and treat me as a victim too.
‘When I saw Gillian’s case in the press I instantly realised that’s the same Stuart that I experienced.’
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.
She continued: ‘He always told me 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 I discovered Gillian was pregnant so clearly they were still together.
‘I begged him so many times to stop harassing me but he just kept bombarding me with messages saying what a ‘horrible c***’ I was.
‘When it got too much I emailed Exeter Chiefs to ask for help but they just said they wouldn’t get involved with players’ personal lives.’
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.
Jilly, a beautician and paddleboard instructor then living in Exmouth, Devon, had a three-year affair with Hogg
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
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.
Speaking about her time with Hogg, Jilly reminisced: ‘We confided in each other, became best friends. He became everything to me.
‘He would often tell me he liked that we had skin on skin contact, he missed that contact with another human being. Over three years, we would meet up for walks, go hiking across Dartmoor, message, call, Facetime all the time.
‘We would go swimming every morning before he headed to work. He would call me from the dressing room and immediately after a big game.
‘He would stay out drinking for hours and I’d pick him up at 5am with a drink in his hand. I had no reason to believe he had anyone else to go home to and that he was still happily married. I was naive.’
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.
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
Just days after the birth of his fourth child, Hogg announced he was in a new relationship with jockey Leonna Mayor.
Leonna, who now works as a TV racing pundit and is pregnant with Hogg’s fifth child, 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.
