With friends like Cilla Black by her side, the former first lady of football, Nancy Dell'Olio has been celebrating the publication of her autobiography My Beautiful Game. Sven-Goran Eriksson's glamorous girlfriend has become used to seeing acres of newsprint devoted to their on-off relationship so the chance to tell her side of the story was a good reason to crack open the bubbly.
Not surprisingly, raven-haired Nancy was in good spirits as she arrived for the soiree at a famous London eaterie. For her big night the Italian temptress had picked out a white Grecian-style gown, topped off with jade-coloured earrings and ring.
The book tells all about how the cool Swede won her love and approached her then husband, a wealthy lawyer, to break the news to him in person. It also charts the highs and lows of their subsequent life together.
And, although Sven wasn't at the Wednesday's launch - he has spent the last three days moving out of the couple's £3-million mansion in London's swanky Regent's Park district - their famously tempestuous relationship seems to be back on track.
After going their separate ways at the end of last summer, Nancy and the 59-year-old football manager stayed in touch and later decided to give their love another chance. "We have a very deep bond," she recently told HELLO!. "Sometimes we think we can live without one another but we haven't been able to do it so far."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
