Former England rugby star Tom Youngs' wife Tiffany dies after 'heroic' cancer battle

The wife of a former England rugby player has died after a long and "heroic battle" with cancer.

Tiffany Youngs died just weeks after ex-Leicester Tigers captain Tom retired from the sport to return to Norfolk to care for her.

Mrs Youngs was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma - a form of blood cancer - in 2014 and was given a terminal diagnosis, but she was then given the news that she was in remission four years later.

Speaking to ITV News Anglia at the time, Mrs Youngs said her and the family had been "overwhelmed by the support" and were "looking forward again."

However, her cancer then returned - leading to Mr Youngs initially taking indefinite leave from rugby in October 2021, before later announcing his retirement from the sport this year.

In a statement released on Wednesday, his former club, Leicester Tigers, confirmed that Mrs Youngs had died.

"Leicester Tigers are deeply saddened by the news that Tiffany Youngs has passed away after her heroic battle with illness," the statement read.

"On behalf of everybody at the club, we send our condolences to the Youngs and Sands families.

"The club will be providing no further details and asks that the Youngs and Sands families have their privacy respected at this time."

Following the news, many fellow Premiership rugby clubs tweeted the Tigers to pass on their condolences, including arch rivals Northampton Saints who wrote: "Such terribly sad news."The thoughts of all at Saints are with the Youngs and Sands families, as well as their many friends at Leicester Tigers."

Mrs Youngs leaves a young daughter, Maisie, who was born just before her cancer diagnosis.

Speaking to ITV News Anglia in 2018, Mrs Youngs said that the hardest part of the whole journey was having to tell her daughter that "mummy was going to heaven".

Mr Youngs played youth rugby for Holt and North Walsham in Norfolk before being signed by the Tigers.

As a hooker, he won 28 caps for his country and also represented the British & Irish Lions.

Many of those caps were won alongside his brother Ben, now England's most capped player, who withdrew from the 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand following his sister-in-law's cancer diagnosis.