Ryan Giggs has told a court his “love cheat” tag is “justified” and he was not faithful in any of his past relationships, but insisted he has never physically assaulted a woman.

Giving evidence at his assault trial, the former Manchester United footballer admitted he had a “reputation for infidelity” and had “quite a public affair” on his ex-wife, Stacey.

But the 48-year-old said he had never controlled or coerced a woman, as the jury heard he hoped his relationship with Kate Greville would not end after he allegedly headbutted her.

Read live updates from the trial as they happened

Giggs is standing trial, accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against Ms Greville, as well as assaulting her and her sister Emma.

He denies the charges against him.

The former Wales manager entered the witness box for the first time at his trial on Tuesday, as he agreed with his defence barrister’s remarks that he was known for his ability as a footballer but also for his “reputation for infidelity”.

Chris Daw QC, representing Giggs, said newspapers would call the ex-footballer a “love cheat” and asked if that was “justified”.

“Yes,” Giggs replied.

‘Flirt by nature’

The barrister asked: “In the course of your relationships with women, up to and including Ms Greville, have you managed to be faithful to any of them?”

“No,” Giggs said.

Mr Daw asked: “If an attractive woman has shown you interest regardless of your marital status, are you able to resist?”

“No,” Giggs replied.

He also agreed he was a “flirt by nature”.

But asked if he had ever physically assaulted a woman, Giggs said: “Never.”

Giggs told the court his relationship with Ms Greville started while he was married to his ex-wife Stacey, and he previously cheated on her in “quite a public affair”.

He said he split up with his wife after she confronted him about an article linking him with Ms Greville, and he initially went to live with his mother.

The Dubai hotel incident

Giggs was asked about an incident in Dubai in 2017, when Ms Greville alleges he dragged her naked body across the floor of his hotel room before throwing her belongings into a corridor.

He told the court he had “stormed off” following a row at a nightclub, and he and Ms Greville continued arguing back at the hotel.

The former winger denied there was “any physical element to the argument” and said he did not want Ms Greville to stay at the hotel and started packing her suitcase.

“She had plenty of friends in Dubai,” he told the jury.

He denied throwing Ms Greville out of the room while she had no clothes on, and said he told her to sleep on the sofa.

However, Giggs said that after they calmed down, they had sex and spent the night together in the same bed.

He told the jury: “We had sex that we would have quite often which could get quite rough, but not anything weird, but just rough.”

Mr Daw asked: “Was that sort of sexual activity something the two of you engaged in regularly?”

Giggs replied: “Yes.”

Giggs’s police statement

Earlier, the court heard about Giggs’s police interviews after he was arrested over the alleged assaults on Ms Greville and her sister Emma on 1 November 2020.

In a written statement to police, which was read to the court, Giggs said a “scuffle” had broken out between him and Ms Greville over a mobile phone, and he was “attacked”.

“At this stage, I feel very emotional about the incident,” Giggs told police.

“I accept during the tussle she caught me in the face, causing bleeding to the lip and inner mouth.

“I may have caught her and her sister during the scuffle, but at no time was there any attempt to harm either of them.”

Giggs said his head “clashed” with his then-girlfriend’s, but it was “not deliberate”.

“I regret that this argument got so out of hand,” he added.

“I sincerely hope this is not the end of our relationship, and we can talk this through.

“At no point did I deliberately harm her or want to harm her.”

The trial at Manchester Crown Court was adjourned until Wednesday, when Giggs is expected to continue giving evidence.

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