Nancy Dell’olio Pays Emotional Tribute to Her Ex Husband Sven-Göran Eriksson

well now our exclusive interview tributes are being paid all week obviously to the former England manager Sven yuran Ericson following his death on Monday at the age of 76 his former partner Nancy doio was one of the first to share her memories of Sven describing their relationship as a love that never truly Fades well as part of arguably the sports power couple Nancy became known as the first lady of football when Sven took up the England manager's job in 2001 yes I can hear you now all right sorry about that okay well let's get started what I what I said to you you didn't hear the question but I'll put it to you again uh you you've been very Frank in the last uh last few hours about the depth and the strength of your love for Sven it it endured and even though you parted you stayed in touch and you still loved him very much and what I said to you in the question that you couldn't hear was that that to be loved essentially somebody has to be has to be lovable what was it about Sven that you found so especially lovable what were the qualities that he brought first of all Good Morning Britain I'm sorry I couldn't hear earlier um well I find difficult even be here and talking about a b vanan knowing that he not with us anymore but um talk about him make him with all the memories make him still be alive with us what it was lovable well first of all I like to say that when you been you loved someone always is going to still love him forever um well he was a very kind person generous um because quite a different for me in a in a sense that are it was very more reserved um well of course that's why the opposite always care to get attraction it's very difficult to describe but was a because was a big passion so it to to say how many that happen we are something that we connected was not at the same time I remember always get to say that since he saw me the first time he he thought I was the one it was not for me of course I was I was married and I things develop in a few months later but uh I'm very privileged that I been spending more than a decade to with a person has him yes as you say you you were very much opposites attracted to each other I mean he was this fairly buttoned up bited bti Swedish guy and there's you this Italian firecracker how long did it take you to realize when you first met him that this was going to be the man that would define really uh your your adult life as an adult not woman and her relationship with men well I missed the first part of your question uh uh but I I I I think understood the what is the um well uh probably in normally in relationship would be difficult to be attract for a person that is exactly as you so he was attracted by me for things that were completely different and I I was attracted by him and it was St of course much more deeper otherwise I could not made the choice that I made um and was um was quite intense was with the bad moments the Fantastic moments but I for me has been um I've been have to leave with a with a with the fact that I've been create a lot of pain to my ex-husband and Nancy you you stayed in touch didn't you with Sven I know you'd spoken on the phone how hard was it when you knew how ill he was um was was hard but was hard when um but he was very sound so um relaxed so probably trying to we were laughing actually I um and he he just say well I I'm I feel okay I feel okay I'm not uh uh with hard of course we like both of us we were not completely probably um I you say were quite quite difficult even to be uh talking but I try to just focus about his illness and to see how it was um and we I just said that I would like to would be nice to get together for another dinner he must have had something very special because because I mean you were the constant for many many years in his life you were together but he did have these other relationships which were famously reported in in the newspapers but you stuck with him what was it about him that allowed you to forgive him for not being faithful to you well um well you first of all I made an important choice so you never want to I didn't want her definitely to um regret uh what I what I the decision I made and I knew that it was right it was the right person to be with and um well it's quite a very more complex that I'm trying to to tell my opinion in so many interviews I stuck with him because you don't because I know from him that was uh has he he admitted himself recently few days ago that it been very stupid and um he told me immediately that would that meant nothing for him I would not even call relationship of course was something that uh was stupid for him to do it and for his himself admission so when he realized that he had a non intention to to break up and to and to meant nothing for him even of course it's not easy we've been work work that out um but I think was wored to yes until until was wed and Nancy how hard was that time though because you know it's difficult enough for that to happen in a relationship isn't it but let's not forget you know he was England manager you were the first lady of football it was all played out very publicly in the newspapers at the time as well wasn't it absolutely well it was um was definitely hard out the fact that we we thought to be prepared um but of course we were not prepared of that amount of the attention I I knew that um to be a national England manager it's quite well we realize was the is after the queen at that time the King after doya family and the Prime Minister comes the the national manager of the England football team so and then I believe was this they never they never been before I think were never after us the fact it is was this we were two together was vanan and Nancy and as you know by that side of the press they immediately been fascinating about this there are so many elements was the first Foreigner manager with this very um um are you call me firecrackers um glamorous um Mediterranean um Woman by himself side um that's was two very few elements that the beginning was uh was difficult to accept and um and we were so incredible a public in the public eyes what I I took is more with much more irony in a way and I would that sometimes fan couldn't couldn't find the fan of this I've been trying to tell him we should just have to go with it and uh and and make more have a more sense of humor over Tak things not um too seriously uh but that is my character to find the funny things in everything and to find the situation that I couldn't I couldn't go anywhere I think I never since um this the first candle happened I never been able to go to any Supermarket to do to do my hair by they everybody would come to me I never because course to meet my house I have to have a minimum four or five photographer outside or reported so was um yeah was was was was hard but I tried to have a fun with it too that was much more disturbing for San I understand Nancy we're almost out of time I think all of us who've lost somebody who we love very much hope you're not putting me another question because I can't hear anything okay I I'll keep the question very brief we all remember our final conversation with someone who's died can you remember and can you tell us a little about the last conversation that you had with man I I just said he was trying to not to put a effort um and there would say that uh is um that he was uh when we was able to speak on the phone that he was fine because most of the time was not answering or um or he said it I he said it was going to be some treatment um um well it is hard pretending that you don't know that is uh that he was about to die and I never thought about that uh uh because until this is the things about life until life is on you always belied there will be sort of a miracle I or I thought at the beginning that the doctors would make well was a mistake were oh Nancy I'm I'm so sorry for you I know you loved him very very much and I'm sorry listen we we we'll finish this here but next time you come to England do come and see us we'd love to see you even if even if we don't do an interview in the studio it be nice to see you take take list thank you so much for talking to us we can obviously tell it's emotional for you and and hard to talk about but we're really grateful that you joined us this morning with your memories of Sven so thank you so much thank you NC it's nice talking to you thank you e