Olympic Gold medallist , Katie Taylor has jumped from rank 8th to 1st to assume the status as Ireland’s most admired sports personality overall, according to the latest Onside Star Monitor 2012, released by leading marketing consultancy Onside Sponsorship.

Taylor has replaced Brian O’Driscoll, who had topped the Onside poll since 2009, with 1 in 4 of those naming their most admired sport star overall singling out the new Olympic Champion. Registering the highest levels achieved by any sports star in the Most Admired Sports Star Overall category of the Onside tracker over the past 5 years, Taylor’s appeal was most marked among Irish 25-44 year olds at 30%, while a high of 29% of adults in Munster named the Bray based boxer.

Other personalities growing their place at the top end of the ongoing survey included Ronan O’Gara and Henry Shefflin, while golfers Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington remained in the Top 10 of the Onside leaderboard, albeit both losing some ground as Taylor dominated the summer headlines.

John Trainor, Founder and Managing Director of Onside said, “ In real terms, an extra ½ million Irish adults now see Katie as the most admirable personality in Irish sport when compared with 2011, and with this growth she has managed to unlock real potential around her marketability in the future.”

Interestingly, recently retired Irish international goalkeeper Shay Given leapfrogged Robbie and Roy Keane to earn the recognition as the Irish personality admired most in Soccer overall. Ireland team-mate Damian Duff, who also recently hung up his international boots, also increased his performance in the Onside survey by 8% year on year, while Richard Dunne increased his appeal by 7% year on year. Meanwhile Robbie Keane admiration levels in the soccer space returned to 2008 levels and were almost half those compared to 2011.

The racing world has been dealt a blow with the news that former champion flat jockey, Jamie Spencer had an affair.

Spencer, an Irish native from County Tipperary in Ireland, married Emma Ramsden in February of 2005 but are now currently “living apart”. In recent months and years Emma Spencer was thought to be the one playing the field but it has now come to light that those rumours were pure fabrication. We can now categorically confirm that Mr. Spencer is the one playing away from home. So who is the temptress that caused Spencer to give up his wife and three kids? None other than former champion apprentice Hayley Turner.

Hayley Turner, 27, was born in Nottingham, England. It has taken the young woman years to reach the heights of her current job with Michael Bell. Bell who is a classic winning trainer employs both Spencer and Turner at his Newmarket base in Suffolk and both ride regularly for Bell who is one of the Queens trainers. It is here their relationship was said to have started and then continued to blossom. It is understood that Bell now knows of the ‘arrangement’ between the two champion jockeys but as of yet he hasn’t spoken or done anything publicly about the matter.

So what would cause Spencer to act so foolishly and betray the beautiful face of Channel Four Racing? It is understood that the relationship between the Spencer’s had been rocky for quite some time before Spencer and Turner ever got serious. Mrs. Spencer was said to have noticed the relationship growing but was then outraged as Jamie brought his new mistress into the martial home. This was the last straw and Spencer moved out of the family home in November 2009. So how has the matter resurfaced?

Last Saturday, the 24th of April, Turner rode the winner of the weekends biggest handicap race as she guided Brunston (40-1) to victory in the Spring Cup at Newbury. As channel four were covering the event Emma Spencer was obliged to work. The customary post race jockey interview had to be done but Emma refused to carry it out. Her Channel Four co-host, Mike Cattermole, had to be summoned quickly to carry out the job and duly done so. When questions started to be asked after T.V coverage ceased a Channel Four spokesperson stated “Emma would prefer not to interview Hayley – it is in the interests of both parties to avoid any unnecessary tensions”.

Although Mrs. Spencer refused to interview Turner after the race, she says she is willing to speak to her estranged husband if, and when, he wins a race televised by Channel 4. She went on to say “I don’t think it would be awkward interviewing Jamie. I would like to think I am professional and he is professional. We have three children and are on good terms”.
So who knows where this story will end for the Spencers, who were dubbed the Posh and Becks of the racing world. Jamie and Hayley are said to not be an “item” but still continue to work with each other on a regular basis.