Television personality Ulrika Jonsson has ended her relationship with her partner Stan Collymore, after the footballer launched a violent attack on her in Paris earlier this week.
Ms Jonsson (30) kept a low profile at her home in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, yesterday after news broke that the Aston Villa and former England footballer had punched and kicked her in public. The venue was a gathering of Scottish fans in a pub in Paris to celebrate the start of the World Cup. But as details of Monday night's attack emerged, Ms Jonsson released a short statement confirming that the relationship had ended.
The statement said: "I would like everyone to know that I am fine and I confirm that my relationship with Stan Collymore is now over."
Ms Jonsson, who made a number of journeys to and from her home, appeared wearing sunglasses on one occasion. She told reporters she did not wish to talk about the attack. Earlier, Mr Collymore (27) had apologised to the television presenter in private and also issued a public apology through his agent, Mr Paul Stretford. He admitted that his actions were "totally reprehensible, something I am not proud of and finding very difficult to come to terms with".
The attack took place in the Auld Alliance pub in Paris late on Monday night after Ms Jonsson had arrived to celebrate with Scottish fans ahead of their first match with Brazil. A Scottish television presenter, Mr Martin Geissler, who was at the pub, explained on Scottish TV that Mr Collymore became annoyed after fans poured a pint of beer over him and he asked Ms Jonsson to leave. When she refused, Mr Geissler said the footballer "dragged her out of the bar into the back room and pushed her to the ground".
"She was lying on the ground screaming and bar staff then grabbed Collymore and threw him out," Mr Geissler added.
The attack was greeted with indignation by the Sun newspaper, which splashed the words `Colly beats up TV Ulrika' across its front page yesterday. It provoked one commentator to observe that Mr Collymore had joined a growing list of boozy, "intellectually bankrupt" footballers that had hit their partners.
In the wake of this latest unfavourable headline involving British footballers - it was not long ago that Paul Gascoigne apologised for hitting his wife, Sheryl - their glitzy lifestyles and the often dangerous displays of machismo linked with the sport is set to come under renewed media scrutiny.
But if there can be such a thing as a typical football wife - a glamorous part-time model or barmaid - then Ms Jonsson varied slightly from the stereotype.
As a former wholesome television weather girl and presenter of the sporting game show Gladiators, lately Ms Jonsson has come to represent the growing phenomenon of the "female lad" of men's magazines. Appearances on the successful comedy show Shooting Stars, co-presenting the Eurovision Song Contest last month with Terry Wogan and being photographed in a bondage-style outfit while drinking a pint of Guinness, have kept Ms Jonsson's media profile at a premium.
Meanwhile, Mr Collymore is likely to face a tough grilling by his club, Aston Villa. A spokesman said yesterday that the club was "disappointed" to hear about the incident and wanted to speak to its star player "at the earliest opportunity".