Gavin Henson, the Welsh rugby international player who became a household name as the boyfriend of singer Charlotte Church,  tells us in a newspaper interview that he wants to quit his club for “compassionate reasons, and the mental state of my mind” following their break-up.

Charlotte, meanwhile, has another fella and Gavin is struggling with the knowledge that this man is bringing up his one-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, he finds it agonising.

I do sympathise with the trauma he must be feeling, but I think his plans to quit his loyal club for the season because he can’t face the questioning of people who know him there is a huge mistake. Now, more than ever, he should be focusing on his game and supporting his club, especially as he been on unpaid leave for 18 months due to injuries, rather than dwelling on emotional traumas. Or is he? Is it just an excuse to quit?

If Gavin is now fit and capable of concentrating on the demanding rigours of learning to dance, with the prospect of harsh comments from judges on Strictly Come Dancing, as well as the public and media if he screws up, then he is surely well enough to return to his scrum and score a few tries. I’m sure dancing will prove to be a much more demanding challenge than playing rugby for his club.

And I expect fellow dancer Ann Widdicombe would soon speak some sense to him if he cried on her shoulder and would tell him to stop faffing about.