Terry reveals soft, family values side

Former England captain John Terry said on Saturday he was nothing like the popular image portrayed of him being a hellraising, hard drinking womaniser but was more likely to be seen bathing his children and staying in.

The 29-year-old told Saturday’s edition of ‘The Times’ – an interview conducted before the revelations of his extra-marital affair with former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend which led to him being sacked as national captain – that he rarely touched alcohol nowadays either after several embarrassing episodes which made the front pages of the tabloid press.

“I probably don’t go out as much as I should do with my wife,” said Terry, who has flown out with Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti’s blessing to Dubai to try and patch up his marriage with his wife Toni.

“She tells me a lot we should go out more. I’m away with football a lot so when I get home I just really enjoy being at home, and its a case of having to get the balance right with my marriage, keeping the wife happy, keeping the kids happy, making sure everything runs smoothly.”

Terry, who had tried England manager Fabio Capllo’s patience prior to the latest revelations with stories about him selling trips round the England training grounds, painted a picture of his qualities as a father – something for which he won a ‘Dad of the Year’ award last year.

“Nine times out of 10 I will get in the bath with them (three year old twins, a girl and a boy) then get myself into my pyjamas and put my feet up, get ready for Eastenders (BBC soap opera).

“I just try to enjoy them and give all my time to the kids really. That’s a normal day.”

He credits his children with helping him reduce his alcohol intake, which had seen him involved in among other things a boorish and tasteless outburst – along with several Chelsea team-mates – at a group of American tourists at a hotel at Heathrow Airport on the night of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.

“The kids have helped me grow up quite a bit, something which I probably needed….there was a stage when I first got into the first team when after a game I’d be out on a Saturday night and have a good few drinks.”

“At Christmas (2009) I had one sip of champagne to be polite and then pushed it to the middle of the table. If I go for a nice meal with my wife, I’ll have one glass of wine and that’ll do me.

“I just enjoy being able to appreciate nice restaurants with my wife, who’s stuck by me for a long time now.”

Terry, who wants to reach 100 caps by the time he hangs up his international boots, though, he has some way to go as he has just 59, makes clear that but for his forklift driving father’s encouragement he and his elder brother – who is also a professional footballer though has plied his trade at lesser clubs such as Yeovil and Leyton Orient – might never have made it at the top of his profession.

“He (his father Ted) drummed it into us, me and my brother, to crack on and get our heads down, work very hard every day, which is what we done.”

Terry senior’s advice did the trick as aged just eight John became the target of several top tier clubs.

“West Ham came to watch me play and they took my mum and dad out to dinner. However, in the end it was down to a choice between Manchester United and Chelsea, but from day one when I trained at Chelsea I loved it and said to my dad: ‘I wanna sign for Chelsea’.”

Terry says that despite revelations in the papers about his parents – his mother being done along with his mother-in-law for shoplifting in 2009 and his father allegedly trying to sell cocaine to an undercover reporter – that he will always forgive them no matter what.

“Things were difficult at times,” said Terry, who was just 15 when his parents separated.

“When my dad was working long hours they didn’t really see each other.

“Like all families they had a lot of big rows (though he admits his mum is the more relaxed of the two).

“Still to his day I have really respected what they done. I know since they’ve both had things in the papers that have not been good things, but at the same time you can never choose your parents and I’ll always love them.”