Vinnie Jones prefers a quieter life these days despite being a major
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Actor Vinnie Jones , who is celebrating 11 years of sobriety this week, has shared his journey from living a hedonistic lifestyle to finding joy in life. Once known for his "hardman" image on the
Football pitch and on screen, the 59 year old star prefers a quieter existence now. Speaking from sunny Palm Springs,
Florida, where he's enjoying a break away from his rainy West Sussex farm - as well as a spot of
golf - he's been opening up on his new priorities. "I'm enjoying the joy in life," says Vinnie in his recognisable cockney accent, adding that he's learned that ego isn't helpful. After his recent appearance in the
Netflix hit The Gentlemen , directed by long-time collaborator Guy Richie , he'e been opening up about a subject very close to his heart - mental health in football - which he feels more fans should open up about. Vinnie shot to fame in 1986 when signed by
Wimbledon and had an unbelievable career playing for Leeds United, Sheffield,
Chelsea and QPR. But his success was tinged with struggles with alcoholism and mental health battles. "I was 19 or 20 before I even had a drink," he told the Mirror - but sadly, it wasn't long before addiction took its toll. Read More Related Articles Sharon Osbourne reveals she couldn't stand two Celebrity Big Brother co-stars as she sparks new feud drama Read More Related Articles Junior and Princess Andre break silence after dad Peter welcomes fifth baby "It's all rot. You're rotting from the inside out," he says. "I didn't talk about it to anybody." As a star midfielder, Vinnie was known for his fierce way of playing football, most evident in the famous snap of him grabbing Paul Gascoigne by the genitals during a 1998 match against Newcastle. Meanwhile, Vinnie's wild behaviour off the pitch gained him more notoriety than his actions on it. He blames one thing for his conduct - alcohol. Battling with mental health issues since a young age due to his parents' difficult split, his drinking started out as fun, but some of his actions quickly became serious. In 1997, he got into trouble legally for hitting his neighbour while intoxicated, and was found guilty of assault and damaging property. The next year, he bit late journalist Ted Oliver's nose down to the bone, and in 2003 he was sentenced to do community service for assaulting a passenger on a flight to
Japan. Vinnie told the Mirror that heavy drinking makes you lose your moral compass. "Your moral standards drop, and it's all about the fact I didn't have anyone to talk to." Vinnie's mental health deteriorated so much that he thought about ending his own life in the late 1990s, feeling embarrassed by his actions and the stress they were causing to his personal relationships - most notably with his beloved late wife Tanya. Vinnie and his beloved wife Tanya whom he lost in 2019 (Image: Getty Images North America) Reflecting on his past drinking habits, he shared: "I think it clouds the passion. You know, the passion becomes misty, it becomes clockwork. "Other people say in AA, you're a functioning alcoholic. You're a functioning drinker. "Yes, you can have a few pints because you're in your 20s. You can run it off and you can get on with it, but drinking is a young man's sport." Vinnie, who has since become a successful actor with nearly 100 films under his belt, finally managed to quit drinking after several attempts. He believes that being more open about his feelings would have helped him earlier. "During my football career, I spent a lot of time in pubs," he says. "I went to the pub and played cards with the lads at two o'clock. "And the talk was mainly about football, to be honest. "That's why we're trying to say to football fans now, let's also talk about each other a little bit." Vinnie hopes that his honesty about his mental health struggles will inspire other footballers and fans to open up. He adds: "I think people can relate to me because I've actually put my heart on my sleeve, and kind of come out if you like." Vinnie wants to encourage football fans to follow his example and start discussing what's on their minds. He says the laddish culture that surrounds the sport can make it a hard environment in which to talk about mental health. It can be tricky for people to confess to being vulnerable, or discuss issues like sexuality. "I'm passionate about this, " explains Vinnie. "My daughter came out six years ago. She's getting married in June to her girlfriend. ""We have a bit of a modern family. It's nice not to be a dinosaur." And it's not just football fans that he wants to be open about their mental health. He also has great sympathy for the players and empathises with the sort of pressure they are under, having been experienced it himself. Vinnie still sees friend Paul Gascoigne often, who has also struggled with alcohol addiction. "He's up and down," he says. "It's how the disease is activated at the time, and that's what these diseases do." Vinnie Jones playing for Chelsea in 1991 (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS) Vinnie also opened up on the tragic death of wife Tanya in 2019, the mother of his two children Kaley, 37, and Aaron, 33, who died after a six-year battle with
cancer. "You know, after four months, four years, five years, 10 years, you just keep moving forwards, the grief is always going to be in there," Vinnie said. Join the Daily Record's
WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. "It's how other things can control it. It's how much the flower can grow and and bloom. "I think, for me, grief was always black and grey, but it doesn't have to be. It can be colours and happy memories." Vinnie has found new love with his PA, Emma Ford, He says their relationship is "fantastic" and adds: "Moving forwards, we meet other people that we are fond of and we fall in love with and vice versa." He's living a quieter life these days and even missed The Gentlemen premiere. Vinnie explains he didn't feel like he was missing out: "I've got the memories of Snatch, and Gone In 60 Seconds and all that, so I'm not missing out on anything. "All the other actors were texting me going 'Where are you? You should be here' and all that." Vinnie, who's been fixing up his farm on the
Amazon TV series Vinnie Jones in The Country, added: "Joely [Richardson] was texting me. "Max [Beesley] was texting me and Guy [Richie] texted me the whole time. They were saying 'you are missing out' and all that. "But I am cool, I am in a really good place and I am fine." The former "human rottweiler" has softened and isn't so bothered about what people think of him anymore as he went on: "I can't influence how people want to think about me, and I don't give a sh*t about how they feel about me! "That is up to them." Top showbiz news Middletons 'can't pay' insolvency costs Charles reverses lifelong food habit Laura Tobin 'struggling' on GMB Corrie star breaks silence after exit Vinnie Jones is part of the 'Talk More Than Football' campaign with Chelsea FC players. The stars plays himself in a short film for the 'Talk More Than Football' campaign, a joint effort by Three, Chelsea FC and The Samaritans. The video shows Vinnie in the changing room with Cole Palmer, Nico Jackson and Robert Sanchez, where it looks like they're about to get a telling off. But instead, Vinnie uses his own experiences to encourage them to open up and 'talk more'. A new study of 2,000
UK football fans, carried out by Three UK, found that two-thirds of football fans have struggled with their mental health and one-third have never talked about it. Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here . Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow Daily Record
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