England rugby star Danny Cipriani has known success on the pitch and notoriety off it. He tells Gabrielle Fagan how’s he’s changed, and how a guru and poetry set him on the right path

England rugby star Danny Cipriani is knocking back a pint of milk and bandying about names like Aristotle and Rudyard Kipling.

If that’s far from the stereotype of a typical rugby player, it’s even further from a guy who was once more famous for his off than on-pitch antics. He had a tempestuous relationship with model Kelly Brook and was frequently in the spotlight for appearances at red carpet events, fashion shoots, premieres and parties.

“Let’s say I have a much better understanding of life these days. As you get older, you mature and see things in a different light,” says the 27-year-old dryly, as he contemplates a career filled with highs – he was part of the England squad for the recent Six Nations tournament – and lows, when in his early twenties saw his undoubted talent overshadowed by his ‘bad boy’ temperament and antics.

“I don’t know if my ‘bad boy’ image was unfair but looking back I think I gave people an excuse to focus on that side of my life and going out with certain people,” he says.

“I’m not saying I didn’t make mistakes – what young lad doesn’t? – but mine were made a lot more public. There wasn’t a blueprint on how to handle fame and the attention. It was all a learning curve.”

And it seems he has definitely learnt.

These days his constant companion isn’t a glamorous girl, but a notebook for making daily notes on his diet, training and anything which inspires him – including those philosophical Aristotle and Kipling quotes. And Cipriani is insistent his total focus is now on “becoming the best sportsman and player that I can possibly be.”

While that philosophy interest can be attributed to the influence of motivational mentor, Steve Black. The dramatic change in image and focus is partly because Cipriani admits he feels “the clock is ticking” in a sport where most professionals retire in their mid-thirties.

“Looking back I think I probably took success for granted when I was younger. You don’t really appreciate the moments as they come along. Playing for England this year I felt much more stable, grounded and relished every second,” says the fly-half who captained England under-16s and made his London Wasps debut aged only 17.

His devoted mother, Anne, a single parent and London cab driver, worked tirelessly to get him scholarships to public schools so he could pursue his considerable talents.

“My passion was always rugby and she did everything she could, working all hours, to help me achieve my dream. Making her proud is one of my main motivations,” he says touchingly. He acknowledges, though, that it wasn’t easy for her to see the negative coverage of the old days; even after he moved to play in Australia in 2010, reports of off-field indiscretions continued.

Ultimately a series of events in 2013 – an accident when he was hit by a bus after an evening drinking with friends, the end of his on-off romance with Brook and joining premiership Manchester-based club, Sale Sharks – culminated in a turning point.

“I escaped the accident with cuts and bruises but it was serious and could have had an entirely different outcome.” he says.

“When I first joined Sale I was clashing with coaches out of frustration because things weren’t going well. Then I realised they weren’t going to change so I had to change my attitude and work my problems through better. “ Another crucial change was to his diet, following a blood test which discovered he was intolerant to milk and certain foods.

“Milk was a real shock because it’s a fantastic post-training recovery drink, containing fluids to hydrate you as well as protein to help muscle repair, and calcium for bone health. I knew I couldn’t cut it out completely even though it left me feeling bloated and a bit lethargic,” says Cipriani who’s substituted it for a2 milk and credits it with helping improve his performance.

“I just wish I’d gone for that test years ago. I was also told to limit the amount of beef I ate, to increase my healthy fats from foods like nuts and avocados and to drink lots more water.”

He reveals he initially got ribbing from team mates when he turned up to training sessions with plastic containers filled with home-cooked fresh food snacks, specifically designed to boost energy.

“I didn’t mind the teasing. Diet’s key to helping me improve all the time. It’s the small things which can make all the difference and there’s no point my spending hours in a gym or on the field and then undoing it by putting the wrong food in my body.”

“I also note down everything I eat as well as recording details of training sessions which enables me to look back and see what I’ve achieved.”

After the “thrill” of playing for England again in this spring’s Six Nations, his heart is now set on winning a place in England’s World Cup squad this autumn.

“Do I feel like the come-back kid? It just took some refocusing, being able to knuckle down”