Former England rugby captain Mike Tindall has finally had his broken nose straightened out after an operation.

The sports star has fought off the Royals' requests for treatment for years since marrying Zara Phillips in 2011.

At the time, Princess Anne reportedly offered to pay for the surgery after she became worried about the wedding photographs.

The former Bath and Gloucester centre broke his nose at least eight times during his career and his face was cruelly mocked by teammates as "a relief map of the Pennines" due to its twisted bridge.

He appeared at an endurance competition at Pippingford Park in East Sussex over the weekend with fellow ex-internationals Neil Back and Will Greenwood.

A source close to the Spring Wolf Run event said he was told the rugby star underwent surgery the previous week to fine-tune his already improved nose, it was reported.

Three months before marrying into royalty, Tindall told the panel on sports quiz show A League Of Their Own: "Princess Anne asked me if I'd have the surgery," referring to a potential operation to straighten his nose.

But with a Rugby World Cup around the corner that year and a high probability his famous nose would be broken again, he turned the offer down.