Sven Goran-Eriksson brands Ulrika Jonsson affair 'stupid' as terminally ill former England boss speaks out
Sven Goran-Eriksson has opened up on his affair with Ulrika Jonsson in a new documentary
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Sven Goran-Eriksson has opened up on his affair with Ulrika Jonsson in a new documentary.
The former England boss was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer last year, with the Swede continuing to fight despite his diagnosis.
Eriksson was England boss in 2002 when he had an affair with Jonsson, a TV presenter.
The 76-year-old was in a relationship with Nancy Dell'Ollio at the time and the saga cast a cloud over England's preparations for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea that year.
Sven Goran-Eriksson has opened up on his affair with Ulrika Jonsson in a new documentary
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Speaking in a new Amazon Prime documentary called 'Sven', Eriksson confesses his affair with Jonsson was 'stupid'.
But he's also defended himself, too, insisting he 'didn't do anything criminal' because neither of them were married.
Discussing when his fling with Jonsson emerged, Eriksson said: "Sex is one of the good things in life for all of us. She was not married. I was not married.
"Probably I was stupid but I think I didn't do anything criminal. I didn't really disturb anyone."
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Eriksson says Nancy 'loved the tension' and joked that his house wasn't always peaceful while they were together.
"She loved it. The tension. She was a lady from the upper classes in Rome. She liked to go out with important people," he said.
"In the beginning I didn't react very much. But you don't change people at a certain age.
"It was not peace in my house always."
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Nancy also appears in the documentary. She reveals she wanted to leave Eriksson after the affair, while also revealing they fell in love right away. She even dubs herself the 'first lady of English football', something that kept her in the relationship.
"The first impression that I had about Sven, people in power always have extra, extra sex appeal. I felt in love," she said.
"It wasn't something that I was looking for. I was married and I left my husband to start my journey with Sven.
"We were Sven and Nancy since the first date. I was the first lady of English football and there was never going to be another one after me."
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Sven Goran-Eriksson was in a relationship with Nancy Dell'Ollio when he cheated with Ulrika Jonsson
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She added: "The stupidity of Sven. After Sven's first scandal, I wanted to leave him.
"I couldn't want to admit to myself that there was a possibility that I made a mistake.
"That I left everything for him. My lawyers said give him another chance but think what you can get from this."
The documentary also touches upon Eriksson's battle with cancer.
Sven Goran-Eriksson has revealed he's 'accepted' his terminal cancer diagnosis
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He says he's learned to 'accept' his diagnosis, though isn't giving up the fight as he looks to prolong his life.
"Whoever it was said 'life is too short' is right," he said.
"I had a good life, maybe too good. You have to pay for it.
"I think we all are scared of the day when it's finished, when you die. You have to learn to accept it for what it is."
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