I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! star Mike Tindall is said to have seemed ‘under pressure’ when he was quizzed on life at Buckingham Palace by his campmates, a body language expert has said.
The former rugby pro is married to Zara Tindall, who is the niece of King Charles III, daughter of his sister Princess Anne, and 20th in line to the throne.
Mike opened up to fellow campmate Owen Warner during Thursday evening’s episode of the ITV reality show about meeting his wife in 2003, saying he was not nervous after rubbing shoulders with her family members beforehand.
The Hollyoaks star asked if he had stayed at Buckingham Palace before checking if he was open to talking about it.
Mike assured the actor that he didn't mind the conversation, before being asked if he knew his wife was a royal before meeting her.
However, body language expert Darren Stanton has now pointed out the tell-tale signs that prove Mike was ‘guarded’ during the chat, speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino.
He noted ‘several interesting moments’ in the chat between the pair, adding: “Especially from Mike who showed expressions we have not seen from him before.”
He continued: “At one point, I noticed a sudden shift in his emotions internally and a slight change in his posture.
“You’ll notice from the footage on certain questions that Mike, who was sitting on the floor, reached up to the bridge of his nose with his hand. This is what we call a self reassurance gesture or a pacifier in psychology.
“This gesture is often used for reassurance and to make sure that we are doing or saying the right thing.
“Even though Mike comes across as a very open and honest guy, there were a few moments where he was considering very carefully what he was going to say about the royal family.”
Darren noted the gesture again appeared when Owen asked whether Mike knew he was dating royalty during the early stages of his relationship with Zara.
The expert said Mike also used ‘deflective linguistics’, which typically occurs when a person is under pressure.
He said: “During their conversation, Mike volleyed the question back to Owen and asked, ‘How do you mean?’ I think this was a clever way of buying himself a few seconds to consider his answer.
“I also noticed he made the same gesture of placing his hand on his nose and his right leg began to shake for a few seconds.
“Again, this denotes a shift in emotion. Although Mike is generally honest and open, I think he is ever so slightly guarded when speaking about the royals.”
