Wife of ex-England ace John Terry on how post-baby snap changed her life forever
Wife of former England captain John Terry speaks out in her first newspaper interview as she launches her Buddy Workout fitness plan
WHEN Toni Terry saw a picture of herself next to other England football Wags including Coleen Rooney and Alex Gerrard, she realised she wanted to make some major changes.
The wife of former Three Lions captain John, who had given birth to twins two months earlier and put on 2st, vowed to get herself back into top shape.
With the help of ex-Chelsea ace John, the 37-year-old has just launched her first exercise and lifestyle book and given the biggest ever insight into their life together.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday about the picture taken during the 2006 World Cup, Toni said: “Everyone else seemed to look amazing but I hated all the pictures I saw of me.
“Perhaps I should have been easier on myself — I had just had twins, after all — but this was the slightly insane world I lived in and the pressure was immense.
“I had put on 2st. In pregnancy, I ate pretty healthily but I had weird cravings for lasagne with balsamic vinegar and full-sugar cans of Coke.
“That was the trigger for me to change my body for ever.
"With the support of John, both of us are very happy indeed.”
In her first newspaper interview, Toni gives a glance into life at home with husband of ten years John, 37.
She dispels his hardman-on-the-pitch image by revealing he does most of the cooking at home and loves nothing more than reading his children bedtime stories.
Toni also tells how the pair feared they would never start a family and how John was earning so little when she met him that she would pay for their date nights.
Toni, whose book The Buddy Workout is out now, revealed how the Aston Villa captain was earning just £48 a week as an apprentice at Chelsea when she met him in a bar in Essex in 1998.
She said: “When I first met John he was just a trainee footballer and I was earning loads more than him working for a surveying company.
“We hit it off straight away and I thought he was very nice. I had no idea he was a footballer to start with until I began seeing him on the TV.
“We started going out for dinners. I would always pay because he didn’t have much money. He would come and pick me up in his tiny, blue Citroën Saxo. It was a simple life.
“John used to run me to the train station when I was commuting and had dinner on the table for me at the end of the day. Even then he was a very good cook.
“He’d sometimes leave little cards for me on my car window or give me flowers. It was all very romantic.”
In 2002, the pair decided to try to have a baby.
She said: “It proved more difficult than we’d anticipated as I had developed polycystic ovaries, which can affect fertility.
“It was a really tough time and we had a lot of frank conversations about the fact we might not be able to have kids.
“After a long three years, just one cycle of fertility treatment led to us conceiving a child. We were thrilled.
“Six weeks into the pregnancy, we discovered I was carrying twins.
"John was overjoyed and started grinning like a Cheshire cat when we found out. There were a lot of happy tears.”
But when Toni went into labour early, John was in Portugal training with England in 2006.
She said: “It happened at 35 weeks. It was a bit of a shock. I rang John at 6am and woke him up to say the babies were coming.
“He went straight to the airport but couldn’t get a flight. I was having contractions every ten minutes and calling airlines to try to get him a flight. Eventually he got one but I had the babies when he was in the air.
“As soon as I could I phoned John. He had just landed. He was really emotional, sobbing down the phone, and a passer-by at the airport gave him a handkerchief — something I still have to this day.”
Toni has told how the pair, who live in Surrey with their kids Georgie and Summer, are a united family.
She said: “We are a tight little unit. We try to make it all about fun.
“John stays in Birmingham three nights a week while he trains at Villa. But I’m used to him being away now as it’s the job, like it was at Chelsea.
“When he’s back he’s a great dad. He’s always setting games for the kids. If it’s not table tennis, he’s setting up a makeshift net in the garden for tennis.
“He loved changing the kids’ nappies and now he’s become their best friend, which is sweet.
";We try to get the kids outside as much as possible, even if it’s raining, to keep them off their iPads.
“We love being together. We have an evening routine where we all sit together and read a book, taking it in turns before the kids go to bed.
“John loves reading books. He loves autobiographies. He’s reading Pep Guardiola’s book and Sir Alex Ferguson’s. I like Jilly Cooper novels.”
To unwind, Toni revealed she and John enjoy a takeaway and a glass of red wine or a trip to the cinema.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
She said: “We go all out when we go there. We have a chicken burger and chips, popcorn, sweets, the lot.
“At home, we enjoy a takeaway, like a curry, but John is the great cook. He makes amazing paella and we love to make chocolate mousse.
" That’s our guilty pleasure. John loves coming up with new recipes and some of them are in my book.
“He takes inspiration from the likes of Joe Wicks and Jamie Oliver.”
And it is not just the recipes John has helped Toni with in her book.
Toni's tips to get in shape
- Buddy up with someone, whether it is family or friends, your kids, your pets – I think it’s so important.
- Keep it fun. Always try to laugh and push each other as far as you can.
- Set small goals. Make what you’re aiming for realistic and achievable, not mega-goals you are not going to meet.
- Live life. Don’t stop everything else just to fit in your exercise. Try to have a healthy lifestyle, eat clean and keep everything in balance.
- I’m big on being positive. Don’t let the small things get you down. Keep your chin up and keep things in balance.
He introduced her to personal trainer Bradley Simmonds, who he knew through football, and whose team exercise plans gave Toni the inspiration for The Buddy Workout, which shows you exercises to do with a partner.
She said: “John has helped a lot. And when Bradley arrived, John told him he was training the entire family — us, my parents and the kids. We did circuits and shuffles.
“We laughed so much. It made me realise that working out with other people is so much fun.
“This book shows how I have managed to keep fit but have fun doing it. And it has my favourite recipes along with the exercises I love doing with a buddy.
"John and I often work out on holiday but your buddy can be anyone, a friend, a family member.
“John’s even helped me illustrate some of the exercises in the book.
“Now it is the new year, it is the perfect time to find someone and both get into shape together.”
- The Buddy Workout by Toni Terry, published by Lagom (Bonnier Publishing), is out now, £14.99.
Here's how she did it... with a little help from JT
Work – 40 seconds
Rest – 20 seconds
1. Step forward into a lunge position, with knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
2. Straighten the front leg and bring the back leg up to the front, keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees. Return to the lunge position and repeat, switching legs each time.
SIDE PLANK WITH ROTATION
Work – 40 seconds
Rest – 20 seconds
1. You and your partner lie on your sides. Straighten your lower arm and lift your body, raising your upper arm. Keep your body straight and core strong.
2. Bring the upper arm down and across the body, following it with your eyes. Raise it up again and repeat.
PLANK AND CRUNCH
Work – 40 seconds
Rest – 20 seconds
1. Your partner begins on their back in a sit-up position, knees bent and hands either side of their head. You start in a plank position, keeping a straight line from shoulders to toes and core engaged, with your hands on your partner’s feet.
2. Your partner lifts their upper body, arms still up by their head and core engaged, then returns to the starting position. They repeat while you maintain the plank position. After the first set, swap positions with you doing sit-ups and your partner in the plank position.
AROUND THE WORLD
Work – 40 seconds
Rest – 20 seconds
1. Sit on the ground facing your partner with your legs stretched out, feet slightly overlapping. Lean back, bend your elbows and lift your legs off the ground, keeping your legs straight, core engaged and without arching your back.
2. Circle your feet around your partner’s feet as they rotate their legs in the opposite direction. Then change direction, keeping your core strong throughout.