Via Reuters
It was a scandal that sparked countless headlines in the English football media. John Terry was alleged to have had an affair with Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge's then-girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel.
At the time, Bridge was a star for both club and country, but his last game for either would come in 2009. The controversy would become the story of his career, with the left-back unable to escape reference to it wherever he went.
He would join Manchester City and spend numerous seasons out on loan before retiring in 2014 after a short spell at Reading. Now 17 years on from the scandal, Bridge has rebuilt his life away from football.
John Terry and Vanessa Perroncel Affair Scandal Explained
REUTERS/John Sibley
In late 2009, 23-year-old Bridge was at the peak of his powers. He'd won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup with Chelsea, while establishing himself as a regular for England. He'd also formed a good friendship with fellow club and international defender Terry.
Bridge had been in a relationship with French model Vanessa Perroncel since 2005, and they had a son together the following year. In 2009, the left-back would leave for Man City and break up with his partner.
Not long after, reports in the media would claim that Terry, who was and remains married to this day, started visiting Perroncel and son Jaydon at their Surrey home. Although she has always maintained it was purely “friendship” and “cannot be described as an affair,” stories of an alleged romance began to break.
Initially, the press were blocked from reporting on the case after Terry’s lawyers got an injunction imposed, but it was lifted in January 2010 when the judge claimed the injunction was put in place not to safeguard Terry’s privacy but “to protect [his] reputation, in particular with sponsors.” This led to a wave of media coverage.
Terry Stripped of England Captaincy
England-John-Terry
England's John Terry attends a press conference
It got to the point where Terry was stripped of the national team captaincy by England manager Fabio Capello. On top of that, Bridge quit international football to avoid his former Chelsea teammate, despite appeals from senior figures within the Man City squad who urged him to reconsider. Amid the drama, Capello said:
“It’s not normal, what happened between Terry and Bridge. I have never experienced it.”
Although the affair was denied, fuel was added to the flames of speculation when Terry played against Bridge for the first time since the incident in February 2010. Ahead of the game, the left-back refused to shake hands with Terry.
Later that year, in October, more than eight months after the initial story was published, Perroncel got an apology from the News of the World, which read: "On January 31 and afterwards we published some personal information about Vanessa Perroncel in articles concerning an alleged affair with the footballer John Terry. Miss Perroncel has since informed us that she would have preferred her personal information to remain private and it was untrue in any case. We apologise to Miss Perroncel for any distress caused."
By that point, the damage was long done. But what has happened to Bridge since?
Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson
Wayne Bridge's Life Since Retiring
Bridge played his final England game against Brazil in November 2009, and retired from club football in 2014. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bridge accumulated over £7m ($9m) throughout his sporting career and beyond, which has helped him rebuild his life in retirement.
Having split up with Perroncel in 2009, he would later begin a relationship with the Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford. The pair would get married in 2014 and have two sons together.
Bridge has remained in the public eye since retiring, but he hasn't been heavily involved in football. He took part in the16th series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and finished in fifth place on the programme. He also attempted to form a career in boxing.
He beat Spencer Matthews via unanimous decision in an exhibition bout to raise funds for Sport Relief and later agreed to face KSI in 2025. However, he pulled out of the fight two days later following the influencer's outburst regarding his ex-girlfriend's alleged affair with Terry, as he said:
"Wayne Bridge, aren't you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex? Bridge responded: “You want to go there straightaway do you?” The former England defender later claimed that KSI "crossed a line" by raising the scandal, and he has yet to step back into the boxing ring.
Lately, Bridge has shown he doesn't have a total aversion to football, as he now hosts The Dressing Room Podcast alongside fellow former footballers Joe Cole and Carlton Cole. He is also known to enjoy playing poker.
In 2020, it was reported that the defender is 'still not on speaking terms' with Terry. There's been no indication that this has changed in the time since.