The 48-year-old former player, who won two Champions Leagues in a Manchester United jersey, and until recently coached the Wales national team, was in the dock on the second day of his trial before a court in Manchester.

He pleads not guilty to the violence of which he is accused, punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

He is accused of assaulting his former girlfriend, Kate Greville, in 2020.

He must also answer for the offense of behavior of control over his companion during their relationship, which had started in 2017 and ended on the day of the facts with which he is accused.

On the second day of this highly publicized trial, the jury viewed footage of Kate Greville's interview with the police.

Sometimes in tears, the 36-year-old public relations officer, who had met Mr Giggs through work, said she was 'madly in love with him' but 'there were clearly red flags “from the start.

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This interview was conducted in November 2020 after a police intervention at the couple's home following a violent argument.

The prosecution alleges that Ryan Giggs headbutted Kate Greville during the incident, injuring her lip, and elbowed her sister in the jaw who had intervened to defend her.

The footballer's lawyer, Chris Daw, said on Monday that the footballer "did not engage in any unlawful violence", while saying his client acknowledged that his behavior "on a moral level was far from perfect".

Kate Greville has detailed her suspicions of Mr Giggs' infidelity, saying he was aggressively denying it, blocking her number and ignoring her, before begging her to come back.

"It was like a constant mental battle. I started feeling horrible anxiety," she said.

She recounted an argument in a hotel early in their relationship in 2017, claiming the footballer had "literally freaked out" and dragged her naked down the hall, where he dumped the contents of her suitcase.

Kate Greville also confided to having had suicidal thoughts.

"I didn't want to go on anymore," she said in tears.

She said Mr Giggs made her 'paranoid', making her wonder if she was 'crazy'.

"I was just naive, vulnerable, I guess," she said.

© 2022 AFP