England scrum-half Ben Youngs has ruled himself out of this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa for family reasons.

The 31-year-old, who also missed the 2017 tour because of a family illness, has two young children and a third on the way.

Here, the PA news agency looks at other examples of sports stars putting family first.

Joe Marler

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson with his family in Scotland
Phil Mickelson with his family in Scotland (Kenny Smith/PA)

Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson missed a Manchester derby to attend his son's wedding
Sir Alex Ferguson missed a Manchester derby to attend his son’s wedding (Martin Rickett/PA)

Greig McDonald

Greig McDonald had a day to remember in 2013
Greig McDonald had a day to remember in 2012 (Lynne Cameron/PA)

Roger Federer

Roger Federer’s wife Mirka and four children watch him play at Wimbledon
Roger Federer’s wife Mirka and four children watch him play at Wimbledon (Mike Egerton/PA)

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