Ben Foden weds his girlfriend of TWO WEEKS in intimate ceremony

Ben Foden has married his girlfriend of two weeks, Jackie Belanoff Smith, one year after splitting from wife Una Healy.

The rugby player, 34, confirmed the news via Instagram on Tuesday, sharing a series of intimate snaps from his wedding, which took place aboard a yacht in Nantucket, Massachusetts, at the weekend. 

Ben insisted Una – with whom he shares two children – remarkably gave her blessing for the nuptials to go ahead, and told his followers that ‘beautiful, intelligent, charming and funny’ Jackie ‘swept him off his feet in a time of hardship’.  

In his reveal, he wrote: ‘People will say we are mad or even fools, as @snackyjax and I had only been dating seriously for a little over 2 weeks before deciding to get married. But when someone like her comes in to your life, why would I wait?’ 

In images from the day, Ben and his new wife were dressed in formal attire, as he donned a sharp navy shirt and a pair of slim-fitting white chino trousers. 

Jackie looked radiant in an elegant figure-hugging gold floor-length gown with glitzy silver straps, accessorised with a silver watch and gold bangle. 

The only guest who appeared to be in attendance at the nuptials was Jackie’s sister Leila, who Ben thanked in his post for ‘being a legend’.

Despite the minimal guest list, the sportsman insisted all ‘close family and friends’, including ex Una, were told about the wedding before it went ahead.

He also praised Jackie for being a ‘great step-mum’ to his daughter Aoife, seven, and son Tadhg, four, although it is not clear whether she has met his children yet. 

In one shot, the couple sipped on bubbly from champagne flutes while still on board the yacht. 

Another saw the pair display their wedding bands as they held hands, while in a third the new couple said their vows while stood in front of an officiant. 

In another photograph, the duo were then clinched in a passionate embrace, while another saw them strolling towards a yacht together, walking hand-in-hand. 

Ben later revealed that he was headed back to New York, as he reminisced over the day, adding: ‘And just like that it’s over, bye Nantucket until next year.’ 

Ben had kept his two-week long romance out of the spotlight and hadn’t shared any images with Jackie on social media until Sunday. 

Una and Ben were married for six years until they split in July 2018 when it emerged he had cheated on her with a PR girl. 

The couple dated for four years before tying the knot in June 2012 in Una’s native Ireland. 

Ben later confirmed he did cheat on wife Una during their six-year marriage, but insists his infidelity was one of many reasons for the couple’s subsequent divorce.

Ben’s tattered reputation suffered a further blow in 2018 after he used dating app Bumble to publicly announce his separation from the former The Saturdays star. 

Adding a short introductory bio alongside a series of brooding selfies, the rugby player insisted he was looking for someone who ‘wasn’t bossy’ – widely perceived as a dig at his ex-wife.

‘Heading Stateside in December,’ he wrote. ‘Never believe in making plans, let’s just see what happens and how things go. 

‘If you’re uptight and bossy I’m not for you. Getting divorced. 2 little people who are my world.’ 

Ben claimed at the time that Una was already aware of the Bumble account, and had even helped him create his own public profile on the popular dating app. 

Una has since moved on from the breakdown of their marriage and is currently loved-up with her new boyfriend, Irish hurler, David Breen, 33. 

The musician reflected on her marriage to the rugby star during an interview in April, in which she frankly described her heartache and sense of betrayal as ‘burning alive while going through hell’.

Una opened up to Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show in Ireland, where she told him her and her ex were like ‘strangers’ towards the end of their six year union.

She explained: ‘You meet someone, they’re a stranger, you spend a lot of time with them, they weren’t your forever person. They become a stranger again.  

‘I suppose the story is there… I’m not here to dish the dirt and start saying anything bad about my ex husband Ben, but the song is clearly about him and how he’s like a stranger now.’

The star also revealed that she didn’t ‘regret’ her life with Ben because their romance produced their two children.  

Speaking further about her time with the rugby hunk, she added: ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You feel like you’re burning alive a bit but you’re on the right road.’ 

Following the split, Rugby play Ben, who now lives on America’s east coast, insisted he isn’t entirely to blame for the end of their marriage. 

He told The Guardian: ‘At the moment anything that’s published about me is never very good and pretty rightly so because I was the one who committed adultery. 

‘At the same time, it wasn’t the only reason for our divorce to go through. It’s not ideal, but we’re very amicable, we’re getting through it, we’re not the first people in the world to get divorced. We’ve got two little kids we adore.’

However, Ben confessed one of the big drawbacks of being in the United States was being away from his children Aoife and Tadhg.

He said: ‘It’s hard because I’m away from my son and daughter. But I know they’re in a great and loving environment with Una, because she’s a great mum. We never argue about that.’ 

During a recent episode of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Ben confessed that he is still suffering due to his actions, and misses spending time with the couple’s children.

Speaking on the army task show, Ben said: ‘My life’s a bit of a mess. I’ll always love Una. She’s my first love and the mother of my kids. I never meant to hurt her in the way I did… 

‘I think it’s quite appropriate to do a course like this to put some perspective on everything. At the same time, it wasn’t the only reason for our divorce to go through.

He continued: ‘It’s not ideal, but we’re very amicable, we’re getting through it, we’re not the first people in the world to get divorced. We’ve got two little kids we adore.

‘At the moment anything that’s published about me is never very good and pretty rightly so because I was the one who committed adultery.

‘It’s hard because I’m away from my son and daughter. But I know they’re in a great and loving environment with Una because she’s a great mum. We never argue about that.’