Footballers' Wives' Style

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Not sure if this was already posted, if yes sorry and feel free to report it

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=+1]Alex Curran shows off the must-have presents for the discerning WAG - a £100,000 luxury car...and a [/SIZE][/FONT]
While the husband's are busy competing on the pitch, competition is hotting up between the shopaholic WAGS.
Coleen McLoughlin recently showed off her £80,000 Range Rover from Manchester United fiance Wayne Rooney.
But anything Coleen can do, clearly Alex can do better as she showed off her £100,000 Mercedes C class AMG, a Christmas present from her Liverpool player husband Steven Gerrard - and her £1,500 Botox injected handbag.

Hot wheels: Alex Curran has one-upped Coleen McLoughlin with her new £100,000 Mercedes

The top-of-the-range car has ursurped the designer bag as the must-have present of choice for the discerning WAG.

And Alex, 25, showed off the silver car as she went on a shopping trip to her favourite boutique Cricket with daughter Ella dressed in exceedingly high black patent platform boots, which she accessorised with her £1,500 Zagliani python-skin handbag.
The large python-skin bag, which was designed by a former dermatologist has been injected with Botox to make the skin more plump and softer.
It's a much-loved item among the celebrity fraternity. But it begs the question, do the celebrities get their Botox and their bags done at the same time?

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Ladies who shop: Alex was accompanied by daughter Ella on the shopping trip to her favourite store

She was later seen tottering down the road with one of Cricket's distinctive bags in hand as one of the boutique's employees walked her to her car.

Last month Alex told of her horror as four masked raiders broke into her £3million mansion while her two young daughters slept upstairs.
The 25-year-old was confronted by the intruders after they hammered down a back door at her home.
She said: "It was absolutely terrifying, a horrendous experience.
The robbers escaped with jewellery worth thousands of pounds. It was the sixth raid in 18 months on the home of a Liverpool player.
Gerrard has since employed a security team at the family's home.

Bag lady: The luxury car appears to have usurped the designer bag as the present of choice


www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[ms_prissy]

ick that is one ugly bag...

 

[PinkAddiction]

Coleen McLoughlin spotted watching the Spice Girls at M.E.N Arena, Manchester.

Date: 23/01/2008 credits to Kozhura at xwagsx

 

[PinkAddiction]

source: dailymail

Girls Aloud Cheryl Cole's marriage rocked by claims of husband Ashley's 'infidelity'

Last updated at 15:37pm on 25th January 2008 Comments (38)
Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole is facing a marital crisis after her two-year union with football star Ashley Cole has been rocked by claims of his infidelity.
Chelsea star Cole, an England international, was branded a love rat by hairdresser Aimee Walton, who claimed he cheated Cheryl following a drunken night out with his footballing friends late last year.

A friend of Cheryl said: "She will be devastated, she loves him so much. They have some serious talking to do." Cole was unavailable for comment.


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Love cheat? Football star Ashley Cole, here in with wife Cheryl Cole in London, has been branded a love cheat following an alleged affair with a woman he met during a drunken night out last December

If previous comments by Cheryl are anything to go by - the singer once said she would "kill anyone" who cheated on her - Cole has some serious grovelling to do.
Recalling the night of alleged infidelity, Aimee said of Cole: "He's wild — really rude in bed. He knew exactly what he was doing and was pretty good.
"He wanted to go on the pull and he chose me. I just hope Cheryl can see him now for the man he is — a cheat and a liar."
Mother-of-one Aimee said that one of Cole's friends approached her to join the star in the VIP lounge as she and a friend were drinking at the CC club in Piccadilly, central London, on December 8 last year.

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Hiding: A well-covered up Ashley attempts to keep a low profile as he left their home in Surrey today



The West End club where Ashley met hairdresser Aimee


She said: "Ashley was already drunk and couldn't keep his eyes off me, but he wouldn't come and chat.
"I knew who he was but have never been that impressed with footballers — we were just enjoying the free drinks. But at the end of the night one of Ashley's mates just came up to me and said, 'Ashley wants you to go home with him'."
Cole had been out drinking with pals a few hours after the Blues beat Sunderland 2-0 on December 8. They were planning to watch boxer Ricky Hatton's world title fight on TV later that night.
Aimee and her friend then drove with Cole to a pad belonging to one of his pals in the Princess Park Manor complex in Friern Barnet, North London.
The residence is said to be the same complex where he met and lived with 24-year-old Cheryl before their glamorous wedding in 2006.
There, Cole allegedly had sex with Aimee.

The couple's glamorous lifestyle saw them marry in a wedding which earned them £1.5million from a magazine deal

Aimee, a hairdresser from Morden, south London, told The Sun newspaper that Cole justified his alleged infidelity by claiming he and his wife had a semi-open relationship.
Aimee, a mother-of-one, added: "He just kept saying to me, 'Please don't tell anyone, I'll get in so much trouble'. Then he started apologising for what he was about to do.
She went on to reveal graphic details of her night with Cole.
The footballer and bride Cheryl were paid a staggering £1.5million by OK! magazine for the rights to cover their lavish wedding.
It is bound to be humiliating for the singer, who has frequently spoken publicly of her love for her husband.
Last October she said: "We are really, really happy. We spend every minute together.
"He's not into showbiz parties or flashy restaurants, he just likes staying home with me. He's just an amazing, genuine man. I really want a baby and so does Ashley."
The England left back, who was training with Chelsea this week, has apparently since contacted Aimee to apologise for his behaviour.
Aimee reportedly said: "It was a big mistake and I regret it. I feel so sorry for Cheryl. I'd drunk too much and went along with what he wanted. Now I feel really guilty. She should know what he's really like."

Distress: The news will no doubt prove distressing for Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, seen here with band members, from left, Sarah Harding, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts, and Nadine Coyle

 

[PinkAddiction]

Lloyd gets the Defoe elbow JERMAIN DEFOE has blown the full-time whistle on his whirlwind romance with DANIELLE LLOYD.

The ex-Miss Great Britain who had been dating the Tottenham star since November, packed her case and moved out of Defoe’s Hertfordshire home on Tuesday.
And striker Jermain didn’t waste any time making a substitution.
He hit the town and spent the evening partying with his Spurs pals JERMAINE JENAS and AARON LENNON and LEDLEY KING at London club Chinawhites.
Spurs skipper King ensured that the team’s securing of a place in the Carling Cup Final was celebrated in style - by getting completely battered.

5 alive ... Spurs winners Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon and a pal

He necked several glasses of expensive Laurent Perrier champagne before being scraped from the floor by his minder. Ledley King? Legless King, more like.
Among the party crowd was Defoe’s ex-fiancee CHARLOTTE MEARS, who is desperate for a re-match with her ex.

Although the pair chatted, a second leg looks rather unlikely after Jermain left the club with a busty pal.
But his newly dumped ex Danielle managed to score a quick equaliser and put a smile back on her miserable mush, by going under the surgeon’s knife - again.
Serial WAG Danielle - who has also dated footballers TEDDY SHERINGHAM and MARCUS BENT - checked herself into a West London hospital to give her already ample 32DD cleavage an extra boost.
No doubt she’ll land another Premiership star again in no time...

Jermain and a car full of friends

Charlotte Mears and her pals

community.livejournal.com/football_wife

 

[PinkAddiction]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=+1]Another newspaper on Ashley's fling[/SIZE][/FONT]

Chelsea's Cole is a love cheat

PRETTY blonde Aimee Walton told last night of her “wild” sex romp with Ashley Cole — then admitted: “It was a big mistake, I feel so sorry for Cheryl.”

Aimee, 22, revealed the Chelsea and England defender cheated on pop star wife Cheryl after a night out drinking with pals.

In revelations that shatter Cole’s image as a happily married man who rarely drinks, mum-of-one Aimee told how he:

CHATTED up girls as he downed vodka cocktails;

SLAPPED her bottom so hard his platinum wedding ring left a mark;

VOMITED in a girl’s car — then said she should feel “privileged”;

MADE absurd claims that Girls Aloud singer Cheryl “didn’t mind” him cheating as long as he kept it secret, and

INTERRUPTED their sex session to be sick again.

Aimee said: “He’s wild — really rude in bed. He knew exactly what he was doing and was pretty good, despite not being very big.

“But it was a big mistake and I regret it. I feel so sorry for Cheryl. I’d drunk too much and went along with what he wanted. Now I feel really guilty. She should know what he’s really like.”

Drinking


The sex session took place at a posh flat belonging to one of Cole’s pals in the Princess Park Manor complex in Friern Barnet, North London.

It is the same complex where Cole met and lived with Cheryl, 24, before their fairytale marriage in the summer of 2006.

Cole’s fall from grace — which is likely to sicken wife Cheryl and infuriate his Chelsea boss Avram Grant — came a few hours after the Blues beat Sunderland 2-0 on December 8.

He went out drinking with pals, who were planning to watch boxer Ricky Hatton’s world title fight on TV later that night.

Aimee and a friend were drinking at the CC club in Piccadilly, central London, when a pal of Cole’s asked them if they wanted to join the star in the VIP lounge.

Chelsea fan Aimee said: “Ashley was already drunk and couldn’t keep his eyes off me, but he wouldn’t come and chat.

“He was wearing jeans, a grey T-shirt and he kept putting on a baseball cap.

“I was wearing a short black dress with white stars on.

“I knew who he was but have never been that impressed with footballers — we were just enjoying the free drinks. But at the end of the night one of Ashley’s mates just came up to me and said, ‘Ashley wants you to go home with him’.

“He said he’d get a car but my friend was driving so we offered to give him a ride.” Swaying Cole was eager to say yes.

Aimee, from Morden, South London, went on: “As we were walking out of the club I asked Ashley about Cheryl but he clammed up.

“I remember thinking I was going home with a married man and that his wife was one of the most famous singers in the country.

“I asked him if he would get in trouble with Cheryl and he just said, absurdly, ‘She knows what I do. I just can’t get found out’.

“I was really shocked by that — it showed he couldn’t care less about breaking his marriage vows.

“He just kept saying to me, ‘Please don’t tell anyone, I’ll get in so much trouble’. Then he started apologising for what he was about to do.

“He slapped my backside so hard his wedding ring left an imprint. He tried to hold my hand but I could feel the ring and felt so bad I pushed it away.”


Disturbed


Cole then joined Aimee in the back seat of her pal’s Vauxhall Astra while his friend CJ sat in the passenger seat. Two of Cole’s other friends got a separate cab back to the flat.

Aimee — who has a 19-month-old son — said: “During the ride he was slurring his words and was a right mess. Then he just threw up everywhere.

“My friend was going mad but he just smiled and said to me, ‘She should be privileged Ashley Cole was sick in her car.’ His T-shirt was covered in sick and he took it off. I remember being really disturbed by how violently ill he was.”

Once at the flat, Cole’s pals Johnny, CJ and a third man continued drinking downstairs, waiting for the early morning Hatton fight — while the England star led Aimee to a bedroom.

She said: “When you walk into the flat there’s a staircase straight ahead of you and a toilet on the right.


“Ashley said he needed a drink and we went to the toilet to get some tissue to wipe sick off his arm.

“He then tried to find the kitchen but wandered into what looked like an entertainment room.

“He then got a glass of water from the kitchen and asked me to take him up to bed.

“There was a tiny landing at the top of the stairs with a bedroom on the right and another on the left — he took me into the one on the right. He begged me to tuck him into bed.

“I was a bit drunk and knew he was married and felt bad because I knew what was going to happen.

“I went to the toilet and when I returned he was sitting in his boxer shorts on the bed.

Jumped


“For a footballer, I didn’t think he was in great shape. His legs weren’t that big and he wasn’t completely toned up top.

“He asked me to lie down next to him and before long his hands were all over me.

“We started having sex but it wasn’t long before he said he felt sick again.

“Then he just rolled over and vomited on the floor, all over the cream carpet. It was disgusting.”

But Cole was not going to let that stop him scoring. Aimee said: “He had some mouthwash, then jumped back into bed.

“We started having sex again but his mates piled into the room.

“After they left we finally managed to get going again and tried several positions.

“Eventually he finished and collapsed on to my chest. He was panting and clearly had a good time.”

Aimee got up at 7.30am while Cole was asleep, and got a lift home with her pal.

Cole’s booze-fuelled romp with Aimee is the first time he has been caught cheating on Cheryl, who has enjoyed a string of top ten hits since Girls Aloud first burst on to the music scene back in 2002.

The footballer and his bride were paid a staggering £1.5million by OK! magazine for the rights to cover their glamorous wedding.

Cole and Cheryl were labelled the new Posh and Becks because of their huge marketing power. The couple posed in cringeworthy white outfits to promote the National Lottery, while Cole was paid an estimated £500,000 advance for his autobiography.

Cheryl has frequently spoken publicly of her love for her husband.

Last October she said: “We are really, really happy. We spend every minute together.

Apologise


“He’s not into showbiz parties or flashy restaurants, he just likes staying home with me. He’s just an amazing, genuine man. I really want a baby and so does Ashley.”

The England left back, who was training with Chelsea this week, has since contacted Aimee to apologise for his behaviour.

But last night Aimee said: “He wanted to go on the pull and he chose me. I just hope Cheryl can see him now for the man he is — a cheat and a liar.”

CHERYL'S pal has revealed that the Girls Aloud star is 'devastated' by news of Ashley's fling. The friend, who has spoken to Cheryl, told Heatworld: "She thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with him and have his babies. But now she's deciding what to do. She's absolutely devastated."

thesun.co.uk

 

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Reopening of the Newz Bar in Liverpool 2008.01.24

credits to angelfire 3 at xwagsx

 

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emilee please check before posting pics, this pics are two pages back....

 

[PinkAddiction]

SOBBING Cheryl Cole was “inconsolable” yesterday after discovering love rat hubby Ashley had humiliated her by sleeping with a hairdresser.



Front page ... The Sun's story
Pop star Cheryl, 24, vowed never to forgive the England footballer after hearing about his seedy sex session.

A source said the furious Girls Aloud singer yelled at her husband: “How could you humiliate me like this in front of everyone?”

In her rage, she ordered him to pack his bags, saying: “Get out. It’s over - you’ve ruined it all.”

Feisty Cheryl - who warned a year ago that she would leave her hubby if he cheated - later told a friend: “I can’t believe he has done this to me. He has ruined everything.”

Chelsea defender Cole, 27, got the monstering of his life from Cheryl and her mum Joan Tweedy, who happened to be visiting the couple as the scandal broke.

Slapped
Cole was also in tears as he confessed to sleeping with pretty blonde Aimee Walton, and begged for forgiveness.

Seething Cheryl spent yesterday shut away at the couple’s mansion in Oxshott, Surrey, where she was being comforted by mum Joan and bandmate Nicola Roberts.

Cheating Cole was pictured slinking away shame-faced from home, with a woolly hat pulled down over his head.

As he drove away in his black Mercedes, the £90,000-a-week star was still wearing the platinum and diamond wedding ring that left behind a mark when he slapped Aimee’s bottom.

The scene at the marital home as Cole confessed was described as “harrowing”.



Love ... Cheryl's 'Mrs Cole' tattoo
The source said: “Ashley said he was drunk beyond all extremes and didn’t know what he was doing.

“He claimed he didn’t remember what the girl looked like and that it was a one-off.

“He said he’d never cheated on her before and never would again. Cheryl was in a horrific state. She was sobbing hysterically - and because Ashley could see he had hurt her, he then broke down.

“But she’s got guts and spirit and she wouldn’t hug him.

“She just kept saying she didn’t want him anywhere near her, and everything was over.

Jealousy
“He’s been a bloody idiot and she deserves better.”


Cole was due to travel with his Chelsea team-mates to Wigan for today’s FA Cup clash, but sources said his marriage woes meant he was “unlikely” to play.

The left back had unprotected sex with Aimee, 22, at a pal’s luxury flat in Friern Barnet, North London on December 8.

The Sun told yesterday how Cole vomited in the car on their way to the flat - then interrupted their sex session to be sick again.

Cole even made the absurd suggestion that Cheryl did not mind him sleeping around as long as it stayed secret.

In reality, friends say, Cheryl was deeply in love with Cole and wanted to have a baby.

She even had an "Mrs C" tattoo emblazoned across the back of her neck as a symbol of her devotion.

Yesterday Victoria Beckham, 33, phoned Cheryl to offer her support - but had to leave a message because her pop rival was too distraught to take any calls.

A source said: “Victoria was really upset for Cheryl when she heard, and wanted to tell her she was there for her.”



Crisis ... Ashley and Cheryl
The source added: “There is a lot of anger among friends and family because Cheryl made it very clear to Ashley she would not tolerate cheating.

“She also made it very clear how much she loved him and how much she wanted to have his children.

“He has begged and begged her for forgiveness.”

A friend told The Sun: “Cheryl is working out what to do with her life right now.

“She is trying to get her head around what has happened and decide what she wants to do about her marriage.

"She always brushed off suggestions about him and other girls, saying it was jealousy and rumour-mongering.

“But now she is having to question everything. She doesn’t know if she can ever trust him again.”

Geordie Cheryl has agreed to hold crisis talks with her husband in a bid to save the marriage.

But if that fails, Cole’s one-night stand could end up costing him a staggering £5MILLION.

If cheated Cheryl decides on a divorce, she is likely to get half of Cole’s £10million fortune.

Judges could even award Cheryl part of her husband’s £4.5million-a-year wages - as happened when former Arsenal ace Ray Parlour was divorced by his wife

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[PinkAddiction]

2008.01.12
Coleen At The Cleaners credits to kozhura at xwagsx

 

[PinkAddiction]

Raging Cheryl Cole sends cheating husband Ashley packing

Cheryl Cole yesterday kicked cheating husband Ashley out of their home.

The devastated Girls Aloud singer is said to be "seriously considering" ending their 18-month marriage over his boozy fling with a hairdresser.

Tearful Ashley, 27, begged to stay but she sent the Chelsea star packing telling him she needs "time to think". A friend said: "She is angry."

Friends of Cheryl say she is absolutely devastated by husband Ashley's cheating - and feels utterly betrayed because they have been making plans to start a family.

Advertisement
One friend said: "Cheryl is in total shock. She thought she had found the man of her dreams in Ashley. But now those dreams have been crushed.

"The worst thing about it all was that it was totally unexpected. She is angry, but mostly stunned by his betrayal.

"No one can believe Ashley has done this to Cheryl. Everyone thought their relationship was rock solid and are as shocked as Cheryl is. It is a horrible, horrible mess."

Chelsea and England star Ashley bedded single mum Aimee Walton before Christmas at a friend's flat after meeting her at a West End nightclub while drunkenly celebrating a Premiership victory.

But stunned Cheryl, 24, only learned of his infidelity on Thursday after Aimee, a 22-year-old blonde hairdresser, sold her sordid story. The Girls Aloud singer spent a sleepless night rowing with the 27-year-old defender at their £3.5 million home in Oxshott, Surrey.

Finally she ordered him to temporarily move out of the house - saying she "needed some time" to think about the future of their 18-month marriage.

Cheryl's sense of betrayal has been fuelled by the fact that she and Ashley have recently been discussing trying for a baby next year.

Her friend added: "Cheryl needs to make some difficult decisions about her future.

"She's got some serious thinking to do. She has always been very outspoken on the subject of infidelity.

"Now she has to decide whether she wants to stay with Ashley or end their marriage.

She has been through a lot of bad relationships in the past where the men have treated her badly.

"She had no idea this news was about to break and she is utterly devastated.

"She has always been happy for him to go out with his mates and other footballers.

"She never worried about what he was getting up to as she had total faith in him, 100 per cent trust."

Cheryl and Ashley were at home together when they learned that Aimee was cashing in on her drunken romp. Ashley broke down in tears as furious Cheryl ripped into him.

The friend said: "Ashley was crying and begging for her forgiveness and promised her it was a one-off. Cheryl was crying too. But it is difficult to see where they go from here."

Ashley was late for football training yesterday - turning up at 11.30, a full hour after teammates Frank Lampard and John Terry . He had left home looking tired and sheepish but still wearing his diamond-encrusted platinum wedding ring.

The former Arsenal left-back later prepared to head to the North West for today's televised FA Cup clash against Wigan.

Cheryl was consoled yesterday by mum Joan, who was already on a visit from the family's home in Byker, Newcastle. She is expected to stay with Cheryl over the weekend. Girls Aloud band members Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh also phoned to comfort her.

Cheryl has been taking a break from her Girls Aloud duties over Christmas and is due to begin work again next week.

Aimee, from Morden, South London, has boasted of having "wild sex" with Ashley after they met in the club.

She told how he downed vodka cocktails then threw up on the car journey to his mate's flat in Friern Barnet, North London.

Aimee claimed he slapped her so hard his wedding ring marked her bottom - then threw up again as they had sex.

Aimee said the £90,000-a-week star told her Cheryl "would not mind" him cheating as long as he kept it secret.

But Cheryl's brother Gary, 17, claimed Ashley would not have slept with Aimee - because she was too ugly. When he was shown her photo yesterday, he asked: "Is that who he's supposed to have sh****d? She looks like a bewer to me."

Bewer is Geordie slang for an unattractive girl who looks old beyond her years.

Gary added: "Mam is in London visiting Cheryl at the moment. She will make sure she's OK.

"I don't know about this story, I don't believe he would do that to Cheryl. I am sure they will be fine.

"I've met Ashley loads of times and I think he is a really canny lad."

Neighbours of Aimee yesterday described her as a "WAG wannabe" who would do anything to achieve fame.

They also said she was a fanatical Chelsea supporter who loved to swan about in designer labels.

Alison Bridger, 45, said: "She acts just like a footballer's wife.

"I'm not surprised she has got herself a Chelsea player, she's a big fan."

Alison told how Aimee adopted a party-mad lifestyle after dumping her boyfriend, a soldier who served in Iraq.

The couple lived together in a house for army personnel and had a young son Rhys before splitting.

Alison added: "After they split up she became a party animal. She was a neighbour from hell.

"Most of her friends are also WAG wannabes - she acts like she's Posh Spice. She's always wearing Gucci or Prada."

Ashley and Cheryl married in 2004 - two years after they met while both living in the apartment block where Ashley bedded Aimee, They couple were paid £1.5million by OK! magazine for the rights to cover their wedding.

Cheryl has often spoken in glowing terms of her relationship with Ashley.

She recently said: "We are really, really happy. We spend every minute together.

"He is not into showbiz parties or flashy restaurants, he just likes staying home with me.

"He is just an amazing, genuine man. I really want a baby and so does Ashley."



daily mirror

 

[BonjourTristesse]

Why do all wags look like p*rnstars?

Why don't footballplayers ever chose classy women?

 

[Maeve]

Why do all wags look like p*rnstars?

Why don't footballplayers ever chose classy women?

I think they do. But those women aren´t in spotlight and media aren´t interested that much in them.

 

[PinkAddiction]

credit: xwagsx

Coleen Mcloughlin at the hairdressers before the spice girls concert at the MEN arena in Manchester and Coleen McLoughlin arrives at the Spice Girls concert at the MEN arena in Manchester

 

[ms_prissy]

^Exactly. It's a bit unfair to say 'all wags' - the ones that make it to press more often aren't the classiest of girls but there are plenty out there who are normal, classy women.

The Ashley Cole situation is so unfortunate. It's to be expected these days but it's always disappointing to read those kinds of stories.

 

[jacybabi]

Footballers' wives, the new model

Forget the TV version, real footballers’ wives are prize-winning artists, lawyers and accountants, they tell Giles Hattersley






When Susan Gunn won the €25,000 (£17,000) Sovereign European Art Prize last month, her husband Bryan gave a post-match analysis from the family kitchen in Norfolk: “I’m very proud of this recent award, basically going into the international art world, representing your country and bringing back a win.” From syntax alone, it should be obvious Bryan is a former professional footballer, in fact a Norwich goalie. Amazing, then, that his wife, an ex-beauty queen, is a revered artist who paints in gesso, an ancient mix of chalk and rabbit glue favoured by old masters.
Of her award-winning mono-coloured canvases she says: “They embrace the beauty of the flawed, and generate a problematic liaison that vacillates between a new modernity, form and aesthetic.” Of Gunn’s work Victoria Beckham says: “What’s a problematic liaison? She better not be talking about my David.”
Just kidding. Posh has made no public comment on the art, perhaps because like all women married to footballers she is a dim-witted, ambitious, materialistic chav. At least that’s what programmes like Footballers’ Wives tell us. Its fifth series begins on ITV next week, with plenty of fashion-obsessed, sexually incontinent heroines on show. Off screen, life imitates art. The tabloids tell us that shopaholic Coleen McLoughlin (Wayne Rooney’s fiancée) is never more than 3ft from a boutique, while Alex Curran (Steven Gerrard’s fiancée) seems more proud of her orange complexion than her brains.
But despite her great success at undoing 50 years of feminism, time for the traditional footballer’s wife could be up. On top of news of Gunn’s cerebral triumph, it emerged last week that the Arsenal defender Sol Campbell is dating Karen Millen, the razor-brained fashion impresario worth £40m. Millen even had to tempt him away from another businesswoman, Kelly Hoppen, to secure her catch. Suddenly it seems as if footballers themselves are the real trophy spouses. Sporting wives of independent means and minds are turning up everywhere.
Meet Victoria McManaman, 30, beautiful wife of the celebrated midfielder Steven. For years the Liverpudlian has lived a luxury life — “I don’t have leopard print on my walls, though” — in cities from Madrid to Manchester. What most don’t know, however, is that she is a barrister. “I have to use my maiden name for work,” she says. “Sometimes when people ask me I even pretend that my husband does something else for a living. When I taught at the Law Society in Madrid, for example, I told my students I was married to a plumber.”
In reality Steven was earning £60,000 a week at Real Madrid. “I kept quiet for an easy life, otherwise people can get the wrong idea. I’ve been with Steven since I was a teenager. People couldn’t believe it when I wanted to go to university. They said, ‘Go on, give it up, do nothing.’ Instead I did English and German law. When I had to go to Germany for a year, all the Liverpool players were having bets that I wouldn’t make it. I suppose I was a little unusual for wanting a career.”
But maybe not so unusual. On paper 34-year-old Adriana Sklenarikova is the ultimate footballer’s wife, a one-time Wonderbra model whom Guinness World Records lists as having the longest legs in the world (49.5in). Married to the former French international Christian Karembeu, she lives in a five-star hotel in Paris, drives a Mercedes sports car and is a regular at the city’s best clubs. What most don’t know is that Sklenarikova began life as a trainee doctor, speaks five languages and says her favourite author is Milan Kundera. “Sure it’s nice to be beautiful,” she says. “But you can’t ignore your brain.”
Admitted to medical school in Prague at just 17, three years of performing autopsies left her with a healthy disdain for mere status symbols. When Karembeu first told her he was a footballer, she said: “Yes, but what do you do for a living?” She’s worked with the Red Cross for seven years as a qualified medical trainer, teaching first aid both in France and Africa. “I think for some powerful, intelligent women now,” she smiles, “the footballer husband is the real accessory.”
Perhaps she is thinking of Karren Brady, 36, the much-admired managing director of Birmingham City, and nonexecutive director of Mothercare and Channel 4, married to Derby County striker Paul Peschisolido. Or Debbie Seaman, the one-time agent, who is shrewdly managing husband David’s career after his retirement from professional football.
“They’re handsome, strong and some can be very glamorous,” continues Sklenarikova. “Those aren’t the reasons why I love my husband, but I’m never going to be his accessory either. I left a communist country with two francs in my pocket and survived. I’m not the sort of wife who can lie about the house. I never let my husband pay for me, even now.”
“The idea that we’re all lazy spendthrifts is ridiculous,” agrees Sarah Adams-Lipa, wife of Andreas Lipa, the Austrian international. “Loads of the wives I’ve met have jobs. When we were at Port Vale one was an accountant, another started her own company, and lots were studying. The sensible ones know their husbands won’t play for ever and that one day they might be the principal breadwinner.”
Adams-Lipa, 32, has a bachelor’s degree in applied psychology, a masters in criminology and is toying with doing a PhD. She once spent two months in Gartree prison assessing the social ability of murderers, and met her husband when writing up her findings in Austria. “I never thought I’d marry a footballer,” she laughs. “My dream was to join Interpol.”
Does that make you unusual? “I’ve met quite a few footballers’ wives and lots have been intellectually challenged,” she sighs. “There’s a kernel of truth to that stereotype, but you also have to remember that footballers don’t have a reputation for being particularly intelligent either. Maybe like attracts like.”
All the wives agree that society’s opinion of them amounts to institutionalised sexism. “In most fields female beauty negates brains, especially in Britain,” says Adams-Lipa. “Most people take one look at me and think, ‘Bimbo’. It may be true that the only time I don’t wear heels is to walk the dog, but my brain is just fine, thanks.”
“Whenever anyone writes anything about footballers’ wives it’s like we’re back in the 1950s,” adds Susan Gunn. “If my husband had made a fantastic save in Europe the headline would never read, ‘Husband of artist has fantastic save’. When I get shortlisted from 300 to 30 artists from 22 countries and win this prestigious award, my headline was, ‘Footballer’s wife is good at art shocker!’”
“They asked me to be in Footballers’ Wives,” says Sklenarikova, shocked. “I said no. I mean, how stupid. I hate this cliché.” Nevertheless, as a stereotype the footballer’s wife has become the yuppie of the Noughties — a human incarnation of everything we hate about conspicuous consumption and easy celebrity.
“We’re victims of a society obsessed with gossip,” says McManaman, “one that says we are money-grabbing women with no talent or individuality, clinging to the fame of our husbands irrespective of their behaviour.” She laughs. “I speak four languages. I’ve practised law. I’ve taught law. I’ve set up my own company. I’m not what’s wrong with the world. Isn’t it time people found a new target?”
The danger remains, however, that this vocal minority are the exception that proves the rule. “That’s as may be,” says Adams-Lipa with a sniff, “but ultimately disdain for us shows British society up as being much nastier, much more classobsessed and probably even more frivolous than any footballer’s wife is, no matter how often she gets her hair done.”

 

[PinkAddiction]

thanks for the article!!!

 

[jacybabi]

you're welcome. my new favourite wag is Adriana Sklenarikova. so beautiful and smart. 5 languages wow

 

[ms_prissy]

Yeah, great article. And it's from a while back so I can't believe I haven't spotted it until now. Thanks for posting

 

[PinkAddiction]

sheree baby shower credits to potty at xwagsx