Skip to content

S4C
Cwpwrdd Dillad: Jo Popham
Jo Popham
Jo Popham
Jo Popham
Jo Popham

CWPWRDD DILLAD: Click here for more images

Jo Popham is a rugby wife who has bid 'au revoir' to Wales and now lives in Brieve.

Jo Popham

They say that the French are the most stylish people on the world. Would you agree with that?

They are very stylish over here. But I recently went to Bordeaux and you can see the difference between what people wear there and here, they look really nice there. A lot of them wear black leggings with motorcycle boots or riding boots. I like that style but I haven't found a pair of boots that fit my legs yet because I have quite thin legs! That's a common problem that I've found over here actually - nothing fits me!

Jo Popham

Are you happy to pay quite a bit for your clothes?

There are a few nice shops here in Brieve, but they're very expensive. If the clothes are very high quality and I'll get a lot of use out of them, I don't mind paying a little extra, but I usually go to places like Topshop. If I see something I like, then I'll buy a few of them in the same colour, because if I like something I tend to wear it all the time.

Jo Popham

Do you admire someone's style in particular?

I like Coleen Rooney's style because she has her Balenciaga bag but mixes it with Topshop clothes. I think she mixes designer and high street clothes very well.

Jo Popham

What would you wear to go and watch a rugby match and support your husband?

At the international rugby matches in Wales you're not allowed to wear jeans, so I'll wear leggings or a pretty dress, we usually dress up quite a bit. Here in Brieve, it depends what time the match is on. If the match is played in the afternoon, I'll dress up a bit more because we usually go out for a meal afterwards. But if it's a late kick-off I'll wear a pair of Diesel jeans and Cats, something warm, because it gets cold here at night. I've realized now that it's better to pay that little extra for cashmere and leather as they keep you warm whereas materials like acrylic looks the same, but they don't keep you as warm.

Jo Popham

Your wedding dress is fabulous, but it does look a little worse for wear! Do you still wear it?

I loved wearing this dress, and I still wear it now to clean, iron and hoover! When you've paid so much for a dress you want to make the most of it! It is dirty, and to tell you the truth I have no idea how it got so dirty at the wedding. All of Alix's shirts are kept downstairs in the dining room, and they are all covered in mud and blood because I believe that if you're going to keep something forever, then you need to keep its history as well.

Jo Popham

As a wife of a rugby player, you get a lot of attention from the press. Do you get asked to do any press events?

I've done quite a few photoshoots. I did one with Vibe when the series 'Gwragedd Rygbi' (Rugby Wives) was on television. I've also done one with Julian Castaldi and I've done a few for the Western Mail. I'm a fashionista and the face of Talbot Green Shopping Centre so I've done a few things with that. For the Julian Castaldi shoot I wore a pink camisole, I think the top's ugly now, but at the time it was fine.

Jo Popham

With all the media attention, do you feel pressure to look good all the time?

I probably felt the pressure more in Wales as I was in the papers and on the web more there so I felt that I had to wear make-up all the time. Over here, nobody knows who I am so I can go into town looking quite rough!

Jo Popham

Are you happy being called a rugby wife?

Yes, because that's what I am really. But it's now changed form 'WAGs' to 'Scrummies'!

Jo Popham

What do you wear from day to day?

I have these Diesel jeans that I bought in Leeds when I first moved there, but I don't wear them anymore because they're quite revealing. When I was pregnant with Holly, because they're so low, I wore them right up until the end and then wore them to come home from the hospital. But now, having come down the slide in the garden hundreds of times they've torn in quite a few places!

Jo Popham

Are you sentimental about your things?

Yes I am. I wear my grandmother's wedding ring, which I never take it off. And I also have two chains that belonged to my grandmother. I want to give one to Holly and the other to Isobel when they grow up. I've also kept the first ring that Alix gave to me.

  • CWPWRDD DILLAD