Born:
October 31, 1972
in
Birkenhead
Best Known For:
Being part of the 2003 World Cup-winning England rugby union squad.
Early-life:
Matthew James Sutherland Dawson was born on October 31, 1972, in Birkenhead. At the age of four, he and his family, mum Lois, dad Ron and sister Emma, moved to the edge of the New Forest. Throughout his school years, Matt preferred sport to academic study and, with support from his father, grew to love rugby union. He started playing at the age of six, and by the time he should have been studying for his A-levels, Matt was hard at work trying out for the England 16-18 squad and landing a place at club side Northampton in 1991.
Career:
Dawson's career as a scrum-half took off when he was selected to play for England in 1995. During his time with the squad, he was a member of the victorious 1997 British Lions tour, captained the English national side in 2000 and was a member of the team that won the World Cup in 2003. A year later, he left Northampton and moved to London Wasps. In 2006, he announced his retirement from the sport. Two years earlier he had begun his assault on TV, joining the long-running quiz A Question of Sport as a team captain. The year he gave up rugby saw him take part in cookery show Celebrity MasterChef, which he won, and Strictly Come Dancing, where he was beaten into second place by Mark Ramprakash. More recently, he has presented Monster Munchies for the Good Food channel and Real Food Family Cook Off on Channel 5.
Quote:
"One of the great things about the England side in 2003 was that we had a great bond on and off the pitch. Sometimes we'd sneak out for a drink and talk about anything other than rugby."
Trivia:
He is married to former model Carolin Hauskeller, now a marketing manager, and they have a son.