JONNY Wilkinson and Diana Stewart are Britain's celebrity couple of the moment - the new Posh and Becks and darlings of both press and public alike.

But despite the euphoria around England's Rugby World Cup hero and his Stockport-born actress girlfriend, the shy couple are eager to steer clear of limelight.

Together, their potent combination of raw sporting talent, rock-like determination and huge sex appeal gives them the potential to earn millions.

Yet, unlike David and Victoria Beckham, who play on their glamour-couple image and court publicity wherever they go, Jonny and Diana are more than happy leading the quiet life.

That may be increasingly difficult now, given their new-found superstar status, but no doubt they will try to carry on in their usual understated manner.

Budding actress Diana, who appears in the ITV drama Family, is desperate to succeed on her own merit and kept quiet about her famous boyfriend when she auditioned to be the face of Marks & Spencer's new TV advertising campaign.

Mimic

She was said to be distraught when word leaked out and a picture was released to newspapers.

Diana, who also works for Sky Sports News, was not always so shy.

At Stockport Grammar School she is recalled as being a "giddy girl" who was very popular.

According to her mother Norma, Diana, the youngest of four daughters, had always wanted to be an actress and was a "wickedly funny mimic".

Diana was working as a barmaid in Newcastle while studying for a degree when she met Jonny, who plays for the Newcastle Falcons.

Her cousin is Jonny's Blackburn-born team-mate Will Greenwood, many of whose family now live in Stockport.

Mum Norma, whose identical twin sister Sue is Will's mother, added: "They have separate careers. With Diana working in London for Sky Sports News and Jonny playing for Newcastle, they meet as often as possible to play golf or run. Jonny is wonderfully level-headed. I believe it's the secret of his success."

Jonny's mum Philippa, meanwhile, missed the final to go shopping at her local Tesco in Northumberland - only to be told by a supermarket worker that her son had won England the World Cup.

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