England rugby hero’s life changed forever by brutal tragedy before he became a legend

Lawrence Dallaglio is one of the most iconic figures in the history of English rugby, but his journey to the top of the game was shaped by a brutal tragedy

Through his pivotal contribution to England’s remarkable Rugby World Cup triumph in 2003, Lawrence Dallaglio secured his status as one of the most legendary figures in English rugby history.

The formidable back row’s illustrious career brought him 85 international caps and an impressive haul of five Premiership titles, three League Cups and three European honours with Wasps, where he featured in 326 matches. Yet as a youngster, he appeared unlikely to scale such heights in the sport, with a devastating tragedy altering the course of his career.

In 1989, Dallaglio’s sister Francesca perished in the Marchioness catastrophe on the River Thames. The 19 year old ballet student was the youngest among the 51 victims who lost their lives in the horrific incident, when the Marchioness pleasure craft – chartered for a birthday celebration – was struck twice by a dredger in the early morning hours and quickly went under.

Dallaglio – then aged just 17 – and his relatives endured a “horrific” period awaiting updates about Francesca, whose remains were found four days following the calamitous event.

READ MORE: Rugby star who lifted up woman’s skirt issues statement as influencer hits backREAD MORE: Ex-rugby star, 39, found dead after heartbreaking ‘delusional and paranoid’ admission

The Wasps icon had also received an invitation to the party aboard the vessel that evening, but chose not to go after falling ill, reports Wales Online.

“Whatever happens in your life after that particular moment is not really as it ought to be,” he reflected on the tragedy during a 2011 interview. “We all had dinner as a family the night before.

“I was invited on the boat as well, but I had a headache so decided not to go. It was very unlike me to turn down a party.

“The next day, Mum woke me to tell me my sister hadn’t come back,” Dallaglio continued. “I immediately thought, ‘She’s probably dead. She’s a very sensible girl’. The boat sank at 1am. If she wasn’t home by then, there had to be a very good reason. It was horrific.”

Now aged 53, the three-time British and Irish Lions tourist pondered whether what befell his sister marked a pivotal moment in his career, explaining: “I certainly wasn’t destined to play for England. I didn’t even play for the 1st XV at school. But I became a man on a mission after I lost my sister.

“Part of that might have just been me growing up. It’s very hard for me to understand. Was I successful as a result of the fact I decided to grow up, or as a result of the fact my sister died?”.

Shattered by the tragedy, Dallaglio later revealed to WalesOnline that pursuing a professional rugby career with Wasps enabled him to “rebuild his life”. “From the moment I stepped in, it just felt like the right fit for me,” he expressed.

“It was precisely what I needed at that point. I needed a family, a community, some folks to embrace me and offer a bit of help because I was certainly in a tough and gloomy place.

“Saturdays turned into a joyful day for me and my parents. It aided not only my life’s reconstruction but also theirs.

“Everyone carries a burden and life is full of hurdles,” Dallaglio added. “For mine to appear at 16 was a significant obstacle, but rugby provided a form of therapy and enabled us as a family to progress. That marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey.”

However, while Dallaglio enjoyed a highly successful career on the field, his off-field behaviour occasionally tarnished it.

In 1999, he stepped down as England captain following allegations in the News of the World that he had used hard drugs including cocaine and ecstasy. The tabloid also claimed that he had bragged to undercover journalists about taking drugs at a party during the 1997 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.

Following an investigation, the RFU fined him £15,000, with Martin Johnson being appointed as captain in his stead.

Over two decades later, Dallaglio found himself in the midst of another scandal. It was alleged that he had used his own bank cards to spend £10,000 in a London brothel, rumoured to offer customers prostitutes and cocaine.

The allegations surfaced during a 2020 trial of a gang accused of providing prostitutes and Class A drugs. The brothel had been raided and closed by police the previous year.

During the trial, it was revealed that police had found bank card receipts at the venue, leading to Dallaglio’s name being mentioned.

Dallaglio, a former Wasps player, was subsequently interviewed under caution by police, accompanied by a solicitor. However, no further action was taken against him.

It remains unclear what Dallaglio paid for, and whether he was alone during his visits to the brothel.

The past year has also been challenging for Dallaglio. Earlier this year, it was announced that he was separating from his wife Alice Corbett after nearly two decades of marriage.

The couple, who have three children together, got married in 2005 after dating for almost ten years. They have now decided to part ways, with both attending the Central Family Court in Holborn, London in February to negotiate the terms of their separation.

Dallaglio’s relationship with Alice, a former model and art student, has seen its share of ups and downs. The pair briefly split in 2003, but soon reconciled and tied the knot two years later.

However, the pair have now chosen to go their separate ways, with a source revealing to The Sun that the couple had “weathered a number of storms” throughout their relationship.

Alice’s mother Lydia Corbett shared her thoughts with MailOnline at the time: “I’m very sad about it. People marry and they divorce, I’ve been divorced twice so I know what it’s like. It’s horrible, it’s painful for the heart and it’s not fair.

“He did very well, I loved him, but he’s going through a bad phase and we hope he’s alright.”

The separation coincided with Dallaglio facing severe financial difficulties, with the former England international being declared bankrupt earlier this year. This came two years after he barely escaped insolvency over an outstanding tax bill reportedly totalling around £700,000.

Previously, it emerged that his sports enterprise, established in 1997, was indebted to multiple creditors and faced potential closure through court action. The ex-rugby legend had agreed to an ‘individual voluntary agreement’ to settle his obligations, though this arrangement with HMRC collapsed in May.

Dallaglio was reportedly compelled to dispose of his four-bedroom family residence of 25 years at a reduced price in an attempt to satisfy creditors.

Though he had originally anticipated selling the Surrey property for £3.3m, MailOnline reported that the 53 year old eventually sold it for £600,000 less to Premier League player Jayden Meghoma, who was merely 18 when the transaction took place. The teenager, currently on loan at Rangers from Brentford, is understood to have bought the property for £2.7m.

Dallaglio’s estranged wife had initiated an insolvency court hearing, seeking an ‘urgent’ order to expedite the sale of the house in an attempt to stave off his potential financial collapse. Despite the sale going ahead, he was still declared bankrupt, with one of his creditors obtaining the order.