Lawrence Dallaglio shares Tom Voyce message as star recalls his own family tragedy

Lawrence Dallaglio has shared a poignant message as the search continues for his missing former Wasps and England team-mate Tom Voyce, who is feared dead.

Police presume the 43-year-old has died after he disappeared over the weekend, with a search ongoing since Sunday afternoon when he failed to return home following an evening with friends. It is believed the nine-cap England international tried to cross a flood-swollen river in his car but was "swept away" by the current, and while his car has since been recovered, he remains missing.

The tragic news has seen tributes pour in from across the world of rugby, with Dallaglio - who won multiple Premiership titles with Voyce at Wasps and played alongside him on the international stage - describing his disappearance as "the most horrific news".

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In a touching message, the former England captain added that he understood what Voyce's family were going through, having experienced a similar ordeal when he was just a teenager. Back in 1989, his sister Francesca - herself just 19 - died in the Marchioness disaster on the River Thames.

The student ballerina was the youngest of the 51 people who died in the tragic incident, in which the Marchioness pleasure boat - which had been booked out for a birthday party - was hit twice by a dredger on the river in the early hours of the morning and rapidly sank. It took four days for Francesca's body to be recovered, with Dallaglio and his family going through a "horrific" ordeal as they waited for news.

After news broke about Voyce's disappearance, Dallaglio wrote on X: "'It's the most horrific news and all I would say at this juncture is that please let us all respect Tom's family and their suffering right now and keep them in all in our thoughts.

"Having experienced the same emotions myself when Francesca was missing and presumed dead... her body wasn't recovered for 4 days after the Marchioness sank. It's just such a tragedy. Sending all my love x"

The former Wasps back row was just 17 when the tragedy involving his sister occurred, and he has spoken openly about the effect it had on his life and career. He himself had been invited to the party on the boat but ultimately did not attend due to illness, and he later reflected: "Whatever happens in your life after that particular moment is not really as it ought to be.

"We all had dinner as a family the night before. I was invited on the boat as well, but I had a headache so decided not to go. It was very unlike me to turn down a party," Dallaglio continued. "The next day, Mum woke me to tell me my sister hadn’t come back.

"I immediately thought, 'She’s probably dead. She’s a very sensible girl'. The boat sank at 1am. If she wasn’t home by then, there had to be a very good reason. It was horrific."

The 2003 World Cup winner also views the tragedy as a turning point in his career, as he added: "I certainly wasn’t destined to play for England. I didn’t even play for the 1st XV at school. But I became a man on a mission after I lost my sister.

"Part of that might have just been me growing up. It’s very hard for me to understand. Was I successful as a result of the fact I decided to grow up, or as a result of the fact my sister died?"