Welshman Ryan Giggs is on trial for domestic violence at Manchester Crown Court and said on Wednesday he “lost his balance” when he head-butted his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville.

During the trial, Giggs, 48, broke down in tears as he described the night he spent in jail after his arrest on November 1, 2020, as “the worst experience of my life”.

“I was scared. It’s never happened to me before, I was so scared,” Ryan Giggs, former Manchester United great.

Giggs said the incident, which took place at his home in Manchester, began when he and his then-girlfriend Kate Greville had an argument over a mobile phone, AFP reported.

Their relationship, marked by frequent break-ups, then soured but the former Wales manager, who admitted he had never been faithful to his girlfriends, believed they were still a couple.

During the fight, “we completely lost our balance because we slipped on the bags” in the kitchen, he explained. After the fall, in which “our heads collided”, “I could see she was in pain,” Giggs added when questioned by the prosecution on Wednesday.

Kate Greville’s sister Emma, ​​who was at the scene, called the police, accusing the former footballer of elbowing her in the jaw.

Giggs, who pleaded not guilty, said he did not hit Emma Greville on purpose.

On Tuesday, he assured that he had never committed violence against women. Asked by prosecutor Peter Wright on Wednesday about his tendency to “do things when you’re angry that you later regret,” the former athlete said yes.

Giggs must also answer for the offense of controlling his partner during their relationship, which began in 2017. If he is found guilty of the charges brought against him, he faces up to five years in prison, writes News.ro.