With her mum, Maureen, and Kaley.
In Lou’s father-of-the-bride speech, he said, ‘Vinnie has a heart problem too – it’s too big for his body.’
At Redbourn we had eight chickens and two cockerels, a pair of ducks, a couple of ferrets, a rabbit, two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, two peacocks and a ton of dogs. It was heaven.
In between football seasons, I’d take Kaley and Tans on holiday – here we are in Florida, with chicken strips and chips for lunch.
With two of her dearest friends, Jo Southern (standing) and Julie McGregor, on Tans’ fortieth birthday at The Grove in Watford.
Tans always loved to ride. Her dad, Lou, had gotten her a horse (Persephone) when she was young – here they are riding together years later in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Music was a big part of our lives together – Shane never played his guitar in pubs and restaurants or at parties without seeing his sister singing along to every word. Here they are with their dad on a karaoke night.
My beautiful, sweet, funny, kind, tough, modest, loving Tanya.
Tans was the centre of everything for so many people.
We cleaned up OK – with Maureen, Tans’ mum.
Me, Maureen, Shane, Tans and Lou – on Tans’ last-ever visit to the UK. (That’s the same clock from the leotard photo.)
Just a few months before she died, Tans wanted to go to Venice Beach in Los Angeles, where she’d always get a henna tattoo that said, ‘I love Vin’. Here she is linking arms with Kaley, determined to have a special day out with her daughter.
Tans took this picture of me and Kaley. Our job now is to look after each other as best we can. That was Tans’ wish.
With Kaley and Lauren, at our last Christmas with Tans.
Tanya and Kaley were inseparable. Tanya always told Kaley she was her ‘life’s most precious gift’. Kaley now says the same about Tanya.
About the Author
Vinnie Jones is a British actor and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder from 1984 to 1999, most notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea, QPR and Wales. Vinnie Jones and his wife Tanya were together for twenty-seven years, married for twenty-five. In July 2019, Tanya lost her fight with cancer and passed away at home, surrounded by her family.
Vinnie has written this book with the help and support of his daughter, Kaley, as a tribute to Tanya. Vinnie is also the author of Vinnie Jones: The Autobiography and It’s Been Emotional.
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Seven Dials
an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
An Hachette UK Company
Copyright © Vinnie Jones Enterprises LLC 2020
All images courtesy of the author.
The moral right of Vincent Peter Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (eBook) 978 1 8418 8420 2
www.orionbooks.co.uk
Table of Contents
Dedication
Contents
Epigraph
Prologue: WHERE DO I BEGIN?
1: SUN SPORTS SUNDAYS
2: WATFORD BOYS
3. THE STOLEN SUZUKI
4: A GANG CALLED CRAZY
5: A NEW HEART
6: PRINCESS DI AND STEVE McMAHON AND PRINCESS DI AGAIN
7: GEORGE THE RABBIT
8: JOHNNY WATTS’ DAUGHTER GETS MARRIED
9: WHAT HAPPENED IN NUNEATON
10: DING DONG THE BELLS ARE GONNA CHIME
11: HE TOOK ONE THROUGH THE WINDOW
12: A DAY AND A LIFE AT HAREFIELD
13: VIRGIN TO JAPAN
14: THE ZEBRA ON MULHOLLAND DRIVE
15: SOUTH DAKOTA
16: THE BLOW-UP HEART BALLOON
17: DAYS, WEEKS, MAYBE MONTHS
18: THE EARTHQUAKE
19: THE WHITE LIGHT
20: JOYOUS GRIEF
Epilogue: THE HOUSE IN VAN NUYS
Acknowledgements
Illustrations
About the Author
Copyright