James Haskell ‘in agony’ after tearing bicep spinning friend Mike Tindall

Podcaster revealed ‘stupid’ incident that led to bicep injury and surgery

Former England rugby player James Haskell has revealed how he tore his bicep while trying to flip his friend Mike Tindall.

The 39-year-old shared an image of himself from his hospital bed on Wednesday (2 October), dressed in a hospital gown and sporting a blue sling.

As many wondered what had happened to the rugby star, who appeared in good spirits despite his injury, the pair shared a video revealing all on Thursday (3 October).

In a post for their podcast, The Good, The Bad, and the Rugby, Tindall and Haskell attempt to reenact a TikTok trend as Haskell reflects confidently, “Speed is the key”. The trend sees mostly couples try to spin their partners upside down and then back around.

He was able to turn the I’m A Celeb star around but was unable to get him back up. During the multiple attempts, Haskell can be seen wincing as he tries to flip the former athlete around.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how f**king stupid it is what’s happened,” Haskell shared to his followers. “I ripped the bicep tendon off my bone and my left arm. I wasn’t even training, it was filming content.”

He revealed that the first two times he flipped Tindall were fine, however on the third spin he changed his grip and “ripped it [his bicep tendon] off the bone”. He shared that Tindall’s 109 kg went through his bone and the tendon “snapped”. He reassured fans that he was in good hands and that the surgery had been successful.

Haskell posted an update to his stories on Thursday night as he ate his dinner in front of the TV, and shared that he was back home following surgery and watching reruns.

(Instagram/TheGoodTheBadTheRugby/JamesHaskell)

“It hurts... alot,” he said. “In agony.”

Fans were left amused as they wrote, “Years of rugby and a torn bicep after lifting Mike”.

The TikToker whose video was used as a template wrote, “Wait… that’s me and my Mrs in the video at the start. If you need some pointers lads I’m only a message away.”

“This wins the internet today!” wrote another.

Haskell and Tindall host their podcast alongside sports broadcaster Alex Payne, with the show debuting at No 1 on the Apple charts when it was released. Since 2020, they have had a number of notable guests on the programme including Tindall’s relatives through his marriage to royal Zara Phillips, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Kate and William.

Both are former rugby players who have transitioned into TV and podcasting following their departure from the sport. Tindall finished second on I’m A Celebrity in 2022, while Haskell was the fourth to be kicked off the programme in 2019.