By Amanda Perthen


Sunnier times: Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips relax by the pool of their Cypriot hotel

Rugby player Mike Tindall is pictured in another embrace with a glamorous blonde... but thankfully, this time it’s his wife Zara Phillips.

The newlyweds were clearly determined to put the tensions caused by the England star’s infamous nightclub encounter behind them last week, as they relaxed playfully on a belated honeymoon.

And rather than choose the elite playgrounds of Mustique or the Maldives for their romantic getaway, the couple chose a package-deal hotel in Cyprus.

All is forgiven: The couple canoodled in the pool following the scandal over the rugby player's antics in New Zealand

At the Columbia Beach Resort, near Limassol, they mingled happily with other guests, queuing for beach towels before sunbathing beside the packed lagoon pool.

It was in stark contrast to the more strained atmosphere between the couple last month when grainy CCTV pictures were published of Tindall canoodling with his 29-year-old ex, Jessica Palmer, in the Altitude bar in Queenstown.

The Queen’s granddaughter and her husband arrived at the Cypriot resort last week, just 48 hours after Tindall flew back to the UK following England’s World Cup defeat, and shortly after she finished competing in horse trials in the Netherlands. The couple spent most of their time sunbathing and reading, occasionally going to the beach bar.

Tindall even chose to sunbathe yesterday, rather than watch the Wales v France World Cup semi-final.

Earlier in the holiday, 30-year-old Zara rubbed suntan lotion into her husband’s back, before he returned the favour, ready for a few hours basking in the 26c heat.

At one point they plunged into the pool, with Zara whispering in Tindall’s ear and laughing, oblivious to the other guests, most of whom failed to recognise the famous couple.

On the one occasion Tindall was approached by a young boy for an autograph, he happily complied while Zara chatted to his mother.

Later, Zara sat up topless clutching a towel around herself after sunbathing face down with her bikini top undone. The couple laughed and joked as they swapped an iPad between them, but they seemed fidgety, clearly unused to spending hours just doing nothing.

Moving forward: Husband and wife looked happy again on their romantic getaway

Lazy days: The pair looked a little fidgety as they took some time off from their active lifestyles

Zara playfully smacked Tindall’s bottom with her book as he rearranged his towel, and she seemed unwilling to let him settle into his own reading, playfully putting her foot into his mouth as a distraction.

Every morning the couple were the last down to breakfast at 10.30am, with Tindall, 32, tucking into a full English while Zara had fruit and cereal, before heading for the pool.

The couple managed to maintain their sporty pursuits in the hotel’s spa, which boasts a gym and aerobics room, with Zara borrowing a pair of trainers from staff for her workout.

Before Tindall headed to Cyprus, his colleague Manu Tuilagi jokingly recreated the infamous nightclub photograph by planting a kiss on his head. ‘I thought kissing him at the airport was just a laugh,’ he said.


source:dailymail