Former England rugby player Danny Cipriani and his fiancee, Hollywood actress AnnaLynne McCord, are asking wedding guests to contribute toward the cost of their big day through the crowdfunding site Honeyfund, hoping to raise around £10,000. Now Cipriani's ex-wife, Victoria Rose, is speaking out against the appeal.
"It's just plain tacky of them to hand round the begging bowl," said Rose, 45, a neuroscience practitioner. "They're even asking for money for the marriage licence."
Guests are invited to contribute amounts ranging from £75 to £450 toward specific wedding expenses, or simply donate cash. Rose's advice to the couple was blunt: scale down.
"What's wrong with a barbecue in the back garden? A beautiful, intimate, private moment. No need to be extravagant," she said. "They're silly to want a big do when they're claiming to have no money."
Ex-wife points the finger at McCord
Rose, who was married to Cipriani from 2021 until their divorce in October 2025, said she does not believe the crowdfunding plan originated with him. She recalled that when her sister died and the family set up a fundraiser to cover funeral costs, Cipriani insisted on covering the expenses himself.
"The Danny I knew would sell his last pair of socks for a fiver rather than ask anyone for money," she said. "I think the crowdfunding must have been AnnaLynne's idea."
McCord, 39, is best known for her roles in the US television dramas Nip/Tuck and 90210. She and Cipriani, 38, met on the exclusive dating app Raya. Their wedding is scheduled for August 22 in Los Angeles.
Rose also questioned the need for outside donations given that Cipriani reportedly spent £250,000 on McCord's engagement ring, described as a 15-carat emerald-cut diamond with seven accent diamonds set in yellow gold. "If it's real, why doesn't she sell it to pay for their wedding?" Rose asked.
A turbulent marriage and costly divorce
Rose and Cipriani met in 2020 via social media and married the following year during a Covid lockdown ceremony at Stroud Register Office, where guests had to watch through the windows. She was awarded £275,000 in their divorce settlement.
Their years together were marked by Cipriani's serious drug use, which he described in his 2023 autobiography Who Am I? Rose said parcels of psilocybin disguised as chocolate bars, and bags of marijuana the size of pillowcases, were regularly couriered to their home in Cheltenham while Cipriani was playing for Gloucester.
"He was the most beautiful, invested, gorgeous human being, but he could also be completely psychotic, delusional and in a high state of paranoia when he'd eaten a lot of magic mushrooms," she said.
On one occasion, after Cipriani overdosed on mushrooms and was admitted to the Priory, Rose was 23 weeks pregnant. She miscarried their son days later, alone and without medical help during the pandemic. She said she was advised not to tell Cipriani until he had stabilized.
Rose also described having to clear her name in a nine-month court investigation after being accused during the divorce proceedings of stealing £70,000 from Cipriani's mother, whom she had been caring for after a stroke. The investigation ended in her complete exoneration.
Rugby legacy left behind
When Cipriani left in January 2024, Rose said he took little more than a couple of pairs of tracksuit bottoms, leaving behind two labradoodles, rugby memorabilia, designer clothing, and personal keepsakes including baby toys and milk teeth.
After paying £900 a month for two and a half years to store his belongings, she has begun selling some items on the resale platform Vinted, including boots he wore for his England debut. She said she still holds club shirts, trophies, medals, a Rolex watch, Dior trainers, Loake shoes, and Italian suits.
"I have got two bedrooms full of it," she said. "So why doesn't he come and grab it, and sell it to pay for his wedding?"
Rose noted that Cipriani's father, Jay, told her he would not be attending the Los Angeles wedding, saying he could not obtain a visa in time. Rose said she is herself planning to move to Los Angeles, adding with a laugh that she might get invited to the wedding but certainly would not be paying to attend.
