Italian beauty Nancy Dell'Olio was inclined to leave Sven-Goran Eriksson following his first affair. The former England manager became front-page news for all the wrong reasons in 2002 when it emerged he had cheated on then-girlfriend Dell'Olio with TV host Ulrika Jonsson. The couple weathered the storm to remain together for another five years, but it was Dell'Olio's first instinct to leave her former flame.
Speaking as part of a new Amazon Prime Video documentary chronicling Eriksson's life, the lawyer told a tale concerning his first betrayal. It was one year after being appointed England boss that news broke reporting he'd had a tryst with Swedish compatriot Jonsson, and the look on Dell'Olio's face recounting that story told all. "The stupidity of Sven after [his] first scandal," she said before rolling her eyes to the heavens.
"I wanted to leave him. I didn't want to admit to myself that there was a possibility I made a mistake." Eriksson, 76, revealed in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and had a year "at best" to live.
The former Manchester City and Lazio boss will go down as one of England's most iconic managers, though his story can't be told without mention of certain off-field incidents. For his part, Eriksson didn't feel his affair was quite as devastating as the media and public reaction might have made out. And the Swede sought to downplay its significance when giving his own insight regarding his first mistress.
"Yeah, pr.