What was the signed gift Louis Rees-Zammit received from Taylor Swift? Bristol Bears star reveals all

Louis Rees-Zammit has now made the move back to rugby from a stint in the NFL, and was asked whether he had met Taylor Swift. He may not have met the American pop superstar face-to-face, but did receive a signed gift after attending one of her concerts. The 24-year-old is spending a period on the sidelines for now after suffering a foot injury.

Rees-Zammit on getting gift from Taylor Swift, life in NFL and return to PREM

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Louis Rees-Zammit was the name on many people's lips last summer when he confirmed his return to rugby union from the NFL.

After spending 18 months in the US across spells with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, he decided to head back home and subsequently joined the Bristol Bears.

It was during his spell at the Chiefs that Rees-Zammit came to the attention of a certain pop superstar, who is engaged to the Welshman’s former team-mate Travis Kelce.

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Ahead of the Friday night PREM match between Gloucester and Bristol Bears, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, Austin Healey asked the 24-year-old if he had met Taylor Swift.

He replied: "No, I didn't get to meet her, actually. I did get a signed letter off her, though.

"I went to a concert. Well, at the time, she said: 'I heard you're doing really well for the Chiefs, keep it up, hopefully get to meet you soon' and stuff, but obviously that turned out different."

Rees-Zammit may have missed out on meeting Swift, but explained how he developed the physical side to his game after making the brief switch to the NFL.

"Before I left, I thought my physicality wasn't up there because I was getting away with just being fast and trying to run around people," he said.

Rees-Zammit 'answers critics' with 'special' try - 'That is proper gas!'

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"Ultimately, that doesn't always work, but it was just more about being more aggressive. Now I’m running through contact, and I'm a lot more explosive."

The behind-the-scenes work also served as a real eye-opener for the Welshman and elaborated more on why the temporary switch between sports was unsuccessful.

"The days were definitely longer, purely because of how much analysis you've got to do," he added.

"It's such a mental game that you've got to run through over 100 of your own plays, whether it'll change, and how you can adapt within the training sessions. It was very confusing.

"I’ve been playing rugby from age seven, like they were doing that from a similar age, so it was like me trying to play catch up with some of the best athletes in the world. I'm then going in there with no experience trying to compete with them."

The winger has now seamlessly slotted back into life with the Bears, and is taking little notice of the ongoing talk surrounding his eye-catching career.

Rees-Zammit has come back to rugby 'full of confidence'

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"I was playing with a rugby ball about two or three months before coming back," he said. "I was starting to love it again basically, and then I made a decision.

He added: "I don't let it [the noise] affect me at all. I've got a really close bond with my family, who are my number one fans. I don't listen to any outside noise.

"When I came back here, it felt like I had only been gone a week. That’s credit to the coaches and the players around me, they made me really welcome."

Rees-Zammit will have to sit out the Bears Friday night Prem clash away at former club Gloucester, though, due to a foot injury.

Watch and stream the Gallagher PREM, Quilter Nations Series and Premiership Women's Rugby on TNT Sports and discovery+

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