Former Ryan Giggs partner tells court of alleged headbutt and affairs with 'up to eight' women

The former partner of footballer Ryan Giggs has told a court how he headbutted her as she packed her bags to leave him and the house they shared.

Recounting the moment he "looked her straight in the eyes" Kate Greville, 36, alleges she believed "he really wanted to hurt me".

Former Manchester United player and Wales boss Giggs is accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against Ms Greville between August 2017 and November 2020.

He is also accused of assaulting her, causing her actual bodily harm, and of the common assault of her younger sister, Emma Greville, on 1 November 2020, at their home in Worsley, Salford.

Giving evidence from behind a curtain at Manchester Crown Court Ms Greville says she had already decided to leave Ryan Giggs by 1 November - the date of the alleged headbutting - following the discovery on his iPad of evidence of his string of alleged affairs “going back many years”.

Giggs constantly denied he was cheating on her, she said, but she “needed to know the truth” as she checked on his device.

She said: “The reality of what I had found on that iPad was way worse than I could imagine.

“Eight women he was having affairs with while he was with me. Full-on relationships.”

Ms Greville said she had secretly signed up for a flat and had also planned to speak to a lawyer about their dog - a golden retriever puppy named Mac.

Following an argument at a hotel the pair were staying at in Manchester Giggs, who had "stormed out" out of the restaurant and to their hotel room where they had planned to stay the night.

Claims Giggs told ex-partner 'you made me do these things' after assaulting her
Giggs' earlier watched as his former partner Kate Greville's police interview, recorded after the alleged assault, was played to the court. Credit: Elizabeth Cook / PA Images

She later went up to the hotel room as well, where she confronted him about the affairs.

She told the court: “He had packed up all of my things and said he wanted me to get out. He was basically saying he was finishing with me and he didn’t want anything more to do with me.

“I knew everything that he had done. I had the proof for the first time ever because he had always managed to convince me the whole thing was in my head and I was going crazy.

“I was upset at that point. I had kept all that inside me all along.

“I showed him some of the messages I had seen. I had taken screenshots, there was a lot. He said what I was saying was not true.

“I said ‘It’s there, you can’t deny it any more.

“Then he got in my face and screamed and told me to get out. He was very drunk and very angry.”

Ms Greville told the court she collected her belongings and went back to Ryan Giggs’ address in Worsley where her sister, Emma, was looking after their dog.

Ms Greville said she phoned her sister and asked her to “get my stuff and the dog” into her car.

She returned and was upstairs packing before 10 to 15 minutes later she saw lights outside as Giggs arrived with his housekeeper and a hotel concierge. He then began unloading her belongings in bin bags from her car at the front of the house.

She said: “He was very angry. I had not seen him that angry before. He was drunk. I think whole situation had sobered me up."

'Idolised' Ryan Giggs had 'more sinister side'
Ryan Giggs arriving at Manchester Crown Court Credit: Peter Powell/PA

The pair then grappled over Ms Greville's phone where, she says, after Giggs pushed her backwards she ended up on her back with the phone in her hand.

“Ryan was on top of me," Ms Greville said. "He’s pinning me down on the floor and trying to reach for the phone in my hand.

"I was trying to do everything I could to get him off me. I was shouting my sister for help: ‘Get him off me’."

Her sister Emma grabbed Giggs by the waist to pull him off, she added, but he pushed his arm back to try to get her off him and it is claimed he had hit her in the jaw.

Ms Greville said Giggs told her he had called the police and was going to tell the officers Ms Greville had attacked him and was a “psycho.”

She replied she was glad she police she was coming as she could tell them "what happened".

“That’s when he came towards me and headbutted me in my face," she said. "He just came at me, grabbed me by my shoulders and headbutted me in my face.

“I said, ‘I can’t believe you have just done that’. I was in shock. I fell backwards, my lip instantly swelled so I put my hands to my mouth. I could taste the blood.

“I was just in shock. All the other times he had hurt me, this was different. This was with real intent. He really wanted to hurt me.”

Ms Greville said Giggs then said to her: “You need to think about this Kate. This will ruin me and it will ruin you. Think about my job, think about my career, think about my kids.

“And I said, ‘Well, you shouldn’t have done it then’."

Police arrived and Giggs was arrested.

Ryan Giggs 'far from perfect' but 'had lines he wouldn’t cross’
On the opening day of his trial Giggs' defence barrister said he was “far from perfect” but there were “lines he would never cross”. Credit: Elizabeth Cook / PA Images

Chris Daw QC, defending Giggs, previously told the court his client admits he was “far from perfect” during his relationship with his ex partner but there were “lines he would never cross”.

He added that accusations the former footballer headbutted Kate Greville were "nasty lies".

Giggs stood down in June as manager of the Wales national team following a period of leave since November 2020.

During his time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups.

He won 64 caps for Wales and is co-owner of League Two side Salford City.

Giggs denies all the charges. The trial continues.