Vinnie Jones has been a regular face on the small screen for years, since leaving his footballing days behind he has become best known for his successful acting career which is still going strong now.
Sadly, the star has definitely suffered his fair share of woes, but the sportsman is defiant to get through his bad days and to keep carrying on despite his heartbreak.
The British actor is now gearing up for the release of his new film, Rise of the Footsoldier Origins: The Tony Tucker Story, which he will star in with a bunch of the nation’s favourite reality stars.
But let’s go back to where it all began…
Man of many talents
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Vinnie, 56, made himself a Premier League legend in the 90s, with his infamous no-nonsense, tough-tackling style.
He did well to cement himself as a national treasure after becoming one of the best-loved footballers in his era before making his jump into acting.
Since making his film debut in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, Vinnie has gone on to bag himself countless TV and movie roles – most recently starring in Law & Order which he has been filming in New York this summer.
In 2019, the star even showed off another one of his talents – singing – when he took part in Simon Cowell’s Celebrity X Factor, though sadly failed to win the competition.
Sober success
(Image: ExpressStar)
Vinnie first addressed his alcoholism back in 2013 when he was photographed kissing Russian singer Lama Safonova outside a Moscow bar, he issued a public apology to his wife Tanya and revealed he had entered therapy.
In his 2013 autobiography, Vinnie wrote: “That incident caused the biggest test of my 20 years of marriage. We’ve been through everything and this angel is still there for me through thick and thin…
“I had risked everything that mattered to me over a stupid night out in Russia…”
He added: “That is the lowest I’ve seen Tans in all the time we have been together… Now I know we have a lot of work still to do, but we both love each other more than anything on the planet and that is getting us through…
“That is why, for the first time in my life, I have started seeing a psychologist. I have virtually given up drinking alcohol…”
He has now been over eight years sober and last year the star took to Twitter to mark his seven years off the booze.
In April 2020, he tweeted: “Tomorrow is my 7 year alcohol DRY anniversary, the worst drug on this planet will get found out one day!!! If I can quit, believe me; you can and your life will be a million percent better! I guarantee it.”
Tragic loss
(Image: Tim Graham/Getty Images)
The actor has been incredibly open about how his mental health has been affected since the passing of Tanya, who died after her battle with breast cancer at the age of 53.
Vinnie and Tanya got married in 1994 and were together for 25 years until she passed away in July 2019.
Tanya was diagnosed with melanoma in 2013 and died in July after a brave six-year battle with three types of cancer.
She and Vinnie were both treated for melanoma, but while he got the all-clear, the disease spread through Tanya’s body.
Opening up about his experience on Good Morning Britain, he said: “The weight of grief is just massive.
(Image: Getty Images North America)
“More than anything I’ve ever dealt with in my life, and you’re fighting it off every day – I just want everyone to know.
“I worked a lot with charities over the last two years, and other fellas can go and get help.”
Vinnie also explained that living through lockdown without Tanya was especially hard after the pair had been together for 30 years.
Vinnie added: “I don’t know whether it helped me or made it heavier. I was in LA and I had some great friends around me, but you’re locked away looking out the window.
“Looking over to the couch where she’d be sitting. So that kind of thing was quite brutal.
“I had a lot of FaceTime calls with friends; friends get you through it in the end – real good friends come to the front.”
Moving on
(Image: ITV)
Vinnie has since moved out of the stunning home he shared with his late wife due to being haunted by the memories of the time they spent there together.
But the football hard-man says he still speaks to Tanya’s spirit every day while making his bed at his new pad.
He now lives close to friends and one of his favourite golf courses in Los Angeles, to distract him from his ongoing struggles.
Vinnie said as a result of Tanya’s death he had become even closer to his children Kaley, 33, and Aaron, 29, who is training to be a pilot in Ireland.
The star has previously revealed how glad he was that his daughter Kaley, who lives in the UK, now has her own home as it was one of Tanya’s final wishes.
In a recent interview with Daily Star, he added: “Kaley is having counselling as well and doing up her house with her partner – it was one of Tanya’s wishes that she had her own home.
“I’m not brilliant with a screwdriver, though – I’m better as a foreman.”
Catch Rise of the Footsoldier Origins: The Tony Tucker Story in cinemas from September 3
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
