Dallaglio's girl cheats on him with friend

Not only does Mr Butler socialise with several of his teammates, but the pair are said to be old drinking friends who used to confide in each other about their relationships.

Dallaglio, 32, has been with Miss Corbett, 31, for ten years and they have three children.

She is on holiday in Devon with Ella, seven, Josie Mae, five, and Enzo, two.

Yesterday, the rugby star refused to discuss the matter. but a source close to the couple said: 'He is not at all happy. He used to be really good mates with Leon.' Miss Corbett, a former model, met Mr Butler, who has a £2million house in Chelsea, some years ago.

Romance blossomed after she confided in him about her relationship problems.

'At first he was a shoulder to cry on, but it snowballed into an affair,' said the source.

'But Dallaglio is also seen as a ladies' man.

'This might just be a case of

Alice getting her own way.' In 1999, the News of the World said Dallaglio had confessed to spending wild nights in Amsterdam with prostitutes.

The paper also accused him of using drugs, a claim Dallaglio strenuously denied, but which led to him being stripped of the England captaincy.

Cracks in the couple's relationship were revealed earlier this month after it emerged that Miss Corbett had asked the star to move out of the family home in Richmond, South-West London.

The couple said they were having a 'trial separation' while they tried to sort out their differences.

On Mother's Day, Dallaglio said: 'Like any couple with young children, we are determined to make our relationship work.'

Friends say Miss Corbett has tired of Dallaglio's dedication to rugby, which takes him away from home for months at a time, and is running out of patience over their failure to marry.

Dallaglio's spokesman Ashley Woolfe said the rugby star was 'cut up' about the affair.

'There is no denial on Alice's side,' he said.

'Lawrence is still living at home, but Alice is away with the kids for Easter.

'Until she gets back and he sits down and has a discussion with her, they cannot make any decisions.

'There is probably less hope of their relationship surviving now and I would not say the outlook was great for them.'

Mr Butler and Miss Corbett were both unavailable for comment yesterday.