EXCLUSIVE'I was married to a Premier League footballer - I'll never forget why my mum tried to stop the ceremony… and here's my warning to girls wanting to be a WAG' reveals Lizzie Cundy
- Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com
Lizzie Cundy has revealed how her beloved mother Gloria stopped her on the way to the altar after being left so concerned she was tying the knot with a footballer.
The former WAG and TV personality, 56, who was married to Chelsea star Jason Cundy from 1994 to 2012, exclusively told MailOnline how she was taken to a pub in her wedding dress on route to the lavish ceremony and given the option to scarper.
Lizzie admitted that despite her parents 'loving' Jason, they knew little about the footballing world, beyond tabloid tales: 'My mum hoped I'd be marrying a doctor or a lawyer, like her friend's daughters and I was marrying a footballer'.
'Even as my dad was in the car taking me to the wedding, [my mum phoned and said] "pull over and just tell her it doesn't matter, she has to be doing the right thing"'.
Laughing at the memory Lizzie recalled how she, in her ivory gown complete with veil and tiara, along with her father, traipsed into the Wimbledon pub for a heart to heart, leaving onlookers stunned.
Sitting down with a gin and tonic, her late dad Derek said: 'Lizzie you don't have to do this, you really don't, it's one of the biggest decisions of your life and we love you'.
Lizzie Cundy, 56, has revealed how her beloved mum Gloria stopped her on the way to the altar after being left so 'worried' she was tying the knot with a footballer
The former WAG, 56, who was married to Chelsea's Jason Cundy, said how she was taken to a pub in her wedding dress on route to the ceremony and given the option to scarper
Lizzie admitted that despite her parents 'loving' Jason, they knew little about the footballing world, beyond tabloid tales (Lizzie pictured with mother Gloria)
Looking back, Lizzie said: 'My mum was a force to be reckoned with, and still is, and I wasn't angry, they were just concerned and I just thought they really loved me and wanted me to make the right choice'.
The stunner explained how her mum, who is now 90, was worried about the 'troubled life' her daughter was marrying into: 'All she'd seen from the George Best days was heartache and pain,'
'No stability, moving about, which in fact she was totally correct about, but I have no regrets because I have two beautiful sons'.
Glamorous Gloria, who lives in swanky Sandringham and is a pal of Queen Camilla, worked as a model before becoming the head of fashion brand Jaeger. Lizzie also revealed her mum, despite her years, is active on the dating scene following the tragic death of husband Derek.
The WAG also went on to share insight into the 'dark side' of WAG life and her advice to those women hoping to following in her footsteps.
'It's very different being a footballer's wife than people imagine, because they think it's all glamorous with big houses and fast cars, the roar of the crowd, everyone loving you, and there are lovely bits, but actually there are some very lonely times'.
She said the beautiful game can be 'not so beautiful' and 'quite ugly' as WAGs are thrown into an unknown world and their lives left 'in the hands' of the Football club.
Laughing at the memory Lizzie recalled how she, in her ivory gown complete with veil, along with her father, traipsed into the pub for a heart to heart, leaving onlookers stunned
She explained how her mum was worried about the 'troubled life' her daughter was marrying into: 'All she'd seen from the George Best days was heartache,' (pictured with Jason 2009)
Lizzie (C) pictured with fellow WAGS Danielle Lloyd (L) and Alex Best (R) at the much sought after Big Wags charity fashion show she organised annually (pictured 2006)
Lizzie also went on to share insight into the 'dark side' of WAG life and her advice to those women hoping to following in her footsteps (pictured during her WAG heyday in 2008)
'You can move at any time, you can just be settled with your kids at school and the next day "no you're off", you have to make friends again, it can be very cliquy'.
'Your partner was never there at Christmas, birthdays, you could never arrange holidays because they were training,'
She went on: 'Christmas Day they would never be around or couldn't join in because Boxing Day is the biggest game of the year, so you couldn't plan things and they'd be away a lot of the time and then there were girls that were after your guy'.
'You found yourself quite lonely, I knew a lot of girls who had really huge mental health issues [due to the loneliness], not knowing who to trust and the women around your man, your life was out of your hands and in the football club's'.
Lizzie and Jason, who share sons Josh, 29, and James, 25, split when he met Opera singer Hannah Pedley, who he would later to go on to marry.
Asking what advice she would offer to other women who wanted to be WAGs, Lizzie said: 'I'd say be with a footballer for the right reasons, do it for love, if you are doing it for anything else you are going to be disappointed'.
'Don't do it for the lifestyle, because it isn't all that it seems and it's a rollercoaster of a ride and I was quite happy to get off it'.
Lizzie, who began dating Jason at just 19, previously said he had brought her into a world unlike any she'd ever known.
Telling MailOnline: 'It took my breath away, that's how glamorous it was, It's like your first day at school and you're like, "who's going to talk to me?" They've all got their cliques. Are they going to like me? Some [WAGs] look you up and down.
'Thankfully, with my character, I took a deep breath, went up to them and made friends. But it could be a very frightening experience to be honest. There's the in crowd and those that aren't so in. I sort of danced between both.'
She said the beautiful game can be 'not so beautiful' and 'quite ugly' as WAGs are thrown into an unknown world and their lives left 'in the hands' of the Football club (pictured 2008)
She said the beautiful game can be 'not so beautiful as WAGs are thrown into an unknown world and their lives left 'in the hands' of the Football club (pictured with Jason in 2007)
The Players' Lounge after the games was the place to be and it was there where Lizzie got to know her fellow wives and girlfriends.
While she struck up a friendship with many, jealousy and rivalry were rife. With the players earning millions, WAGs were regularly treated to luxury gifts by their men.
This proved to be a recipe for disaster, with Lizzie recalling an incident where one woman was gifted a sports car by her husband - only for another woman to scratch up the car out of bitter jealousy.
She said: 'One girl was given a brand new sports car by her partner and then and another girl who was jealous scratched it. That was a big thing at the club, who scratched the car? It was like a whodunnit but we all knew who did it.
'The player denied it, it was all getting a bit embarrassing. These cars cost a lot of money, more than most houses, so it was serious.'
The attention on the WAGs throughout the 90s and into the 00s grew and grew. Getting your photo taken at matches and other events was a given and many felt the pressure to always look their best.
'You're conscious of people looking at you. Your husband scored and you know the camera will be on you,' Lizzie explained. 'There was pressure to stay slim, there wasn't Ozempic in those days. I do think I went way too thin.
'Girls would make huge effort, some outfits were really distasteful, some were splashed head to toe in designer and hadn't got a clue. It was very competitive.'
