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The former British No 1 told a jury she thought it was a “sick joke” when her lawyer husband told her he was accused of the offence because it was so beyond the character of the “fantastic father”. Ms Keothavong, 39, said Andrew Bretherton, who she has known since 2011 and married in 2015, “has never been remotely aggressive”.

She told Inner London Crown Court: “The Andrew I know is a fantastic person, he truly is a decent, decent man who makes me laugh every day, who makes me feel good about myself and is a fantastic father and great husband.

“He isn’t an aggressive person. This has been so outrageous. When he first told me, I actually burst out laughing.

“I thought it was some sick joke. It has been awful.”

The couple have been trying to shield their children, aged five and seven, from the case, the court heard.

Also speaking in his defence, Bretherton’s former girlfriend Sarah Forshaw said he was the “perfect man” to bring to her parents, telling the court: “They loved him.”

Bretherton, 49, denies two counts of raping a woman at his flat in Kensington, west London, in May 2008, claiming any sex was consensual.

The alleged victim claims she was left with injuries after she was pinned down on the bed and was nearly suffocated.

Trial continues.

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