Ryan Giggs deliberately headbutted his ex-girlfriend and threatened to share photos of a “personal nature” with her friends during a “litany of abuse” against her, a court has heard.

The former Manchester United footballer is standing trial accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against Kate Greville between August 2017 and November 2020.

He is also charged with assaulting Ms Greville and her sister Emma, who was allegedly elbowed in the jaw.

Giggs denies all the charges against him.

Read live updates from the trial as they happened

On the opening day of the trial in Manchester, prosecutor Peter Wright QC said Giggs was “idolised” for his skills on the pitch but had a “much uglier and more sinister side to his character” behind closed doors.

“This was a private life that involved a litany of abuse, both physical and psychological, of a woman he professed to love,” Mr Wright told the jury.

“This is a story of control and coercion of a woman who thought she was loved and respected; sadly the reality was very different.”

Mr Wright said Giggs and Kate Greville entered a relationship in 2017 and that over time the former Wales player’s behaviour became “increasingly controlling”.

The barrister said there was “emotional abuse that was calculated” and “a deliberate course of conduct” by Giggs “to gaslight her into doubting herself and her instincts”.

Giggs would threaten to send images of Ms Greville “of a personal nature” to her friends unless she did what he said, it was alleged.

He also would “harass” Ms Greville with messages and turn up “unwanted” at her house or the gym she used, the jury heard.

The former midfielder physically threw Ms Greville and her belongings out of an address they were staying at after she challenged him about another woman, the prosecutor said.

He also threw an item at her in a bust-up in a hotel room in London, the court was told.

“This was not an expression of love, this is obsessive behaviour by him,” Mr Wright said.

The prosecutor read some of the “thousands” of messages that Giggs and Ms Greville were said to have exchanged.

He cited one from Giggs, which allegedly stated: “Please unblock me. All this blocking malarkey is poo. Promise, no more naked piccies.”

“You may wish to wonder what he was threatening to do,” Mr Wright added.

Minutes later Giggs sent an email with an attachment, with the subject header of “blackmail”, the court heard.

Mr Wright said Ms Greville had told her sister she intended to leave Giggs on 1 November 2020 before he returned home, but he arrived and began arguing with her.

“She knew that the defendant had once again been cheating on her,” the prosecutor added.

“Eventually, after years of turbulence, when the scales fell from her eyes, she realised she needed to remove herself from his sphere of influence.”

Mr Wright said the argument “became heated” and they were grappling on the floor when her sister Emma stepped in.

The prosecutor alleged that Giggs then “deliberately elbowed” Emma Greville in the jaw and then “entirely lost his self-control” and “deliberately headbutted” Kate Greville.

Chris Daw QC, defending Giggs, said his client accepted there was “minor and accidental contact” during the alleged incident but it was “not remotely a criminal assault”.

The former footballer and Ms Greville “behaved like squabbling children” in their relationship and there were “lines Mr Giggs would never cross”, Mr Daw said.

“He never once used unlawful violence against Kate Greville,” the defence barrister added.

Mr Daw said the allegations against Giggs were based on “distortion, exaggeration and lies”.

A list of people due to feature at the trial was read to the jury, including former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Giggs’s former teammate Gary Neville and the club’s former chief executive David Gill. Giggs’s former wife Stacey was also listed.

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

During his playing career 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.

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday morning.

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