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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tina Campbell

Ulrika Jonsson says Sven-Goran Eriksson is 'not a decent person' in deleted post after cancer diagnosis

Ulrika Jonsson had a scathing response to the news that ex Sven-Goran Eriksson has terminal cancer.

The former England football manager, 75, revealed on Thursday that he has "maybe at best a year" to live following his pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Thursday evening in a since-deleted post, Jonsson shared a throwback picture of herself.

In the accompanying caption, she said she didn't "have anything to say about Sven" and branded him "not a decent person".

"Look at me being all young all that," it read. "So. PSA. I don't have anything to say about Sven. #nada. Not a decent person".

Ulrika Jonsson shared and then deleted this post to Instagram Stories (Ulrika Jonsson @Instagram)

Elaborating on her stance when asked by the Telegraph, Jonsson said: “I have nothing to say. He didn’t exactly cover himself in glory when it came to me.”Eriksson resigned from his post at Lazio in January 2001 to succeed Kevin Keegan as England manager and moved to the UK with his then-girlfriend of three years, Italian lawyer Nancy Dell'Olio.

By the start of 2002 however, he had embarked on an affair with fellow Swede Jonsson, which she confessed to while at the height of her career, resulting in a scandal.The former weather presenter later wrote of their fling: "I carried on my pursuit for love, pausing briefly for a fumble under the covers with a nearly 60-year-old, Sven-Goran Eriksson. 

"Remember him, the former England football manager?

Sven-Goran Eriksson pictured with ex Nancy Dell'Olio (Manchester United via Getty Imag)

"Yes, I am also trying to forget it because sex was about as exciting as assembling an IKEA bookcase, which is what makes my argument for a younger man inescapably convincing."

Eriksson and Dell'Olio, 62, were later reunited, but following a fling with Football Association secretary Faria Alam, 57, they split for good in 2007 after 10 years together.She was kinder however in her response to his declining health, describing his diagnosis as "devastating" and adding that she knew he was ill but "had no idea" of his condition.

Speaking to the MailOnline, she said: "I didn't think 2024 would open with more bad news. I knew that Sven was ill, but it hurts so much to hear this.

"It's a really negative moment. In September my mother died and I can't get over this loss.

She continued: "It's like having an open wound that instead of healing keeps getting worse. Sven's announcement was devastating.

"I knew he wasn't well, but hearing his words really. Life can be cruel."

Jonsson hosted the original Gladiators sports entertainment show in the late nineties with John Fashanu - but is not involved in the rebooted version.

Bradley Walsh and his son Barney are instead hosting the show - which returns on Saturday on the BBC.

In her interview with The Telegraph, Jonsson was asked about the return of the programme and she opened up about the original - suggesting there was a lot of bed-hopping between its stars.

On Friday, she appeared on a number of shows - including Lorraine which was hosted by Christine Lampard - along with some of the new Gladiators.

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