How many times has Ian Wright been married?

Publish date: 2024-05-31

The former footballer also has eight children

Ian Wright  is known for being one of the most bubbly, hilarious football pundits on the telly. 

MORE: Everything you need to know about Home Truths presenter Ian Wright's family

Having played for the likes of Arsenal and Crystal Palace, the sports star certainly knows his stuff when it comes to the game.

But who exactly is Ian Wright? And what is the star best known for? We take a closer look at the former England player…

How many times has Ian Wright been married?

Ian Wright has been married twice. He married his first wife, Deborah, in Mauritius in 1993. The former couple met when they were children, and in 2008 Deborah told the Daily Mail how Ian had swept her off her feet, saying she used to refer to him as her "Knight in Shining Armour". 

Ian alongside his mum and first wife Debbie

She added: "We went everywhere together, shared everything and led an idyllic life. Ian was fulfilling his dream of being a professional footballer with Arsenal, while I loved being a stay-at-home mum to our three-year-old son Stacey. To me he was perfect - kind, generous and the most devoted husband you could ever ask for."

However, it was not meant to be and the couple split in 2004 after nine years together. Ian later admitted in his 2016 memoir called that he was unfaithful. He said: "I got caught up in all of that and cheated on my first wife, Debbie, which destroyed my marriage. That was a really horrible period. If there’s ever been a time in my life I wish I could change, that would be it."

Who is Ian Wright's current wife?

Ian Wright married his second wife Nancy Hallam in 2011. Ian revealed during his first few days in that Nancy had no idea who he was when they first met. He told campmate Myles Stephenson: "My missus didn’t know anything about football. I met her in the pub The Cow in Notting Hill. I'm not joking, it was the biggest kind of mugging off in respect of meeting someone. I’m not saying I‘m Brad Pitt but she mugged me off so beautifully I knew she was the one."

Ian and his second wife Nancy

Ian revealed before he entered the jungle that it will be tough to be away from his two loves; his family and football. "I am definitely going to miss football. I don’t think I have ever been in a situation where I have been that isolated from the game in my life," he said. "I am also going to miss my family. I speak to my missus every day and it’s going to be a test."

How many children does Ian Wright have?

Ian has eight children

Ian has eight children by four different women. Writing in his autobiography he said: "I’ve got eight kids with four women. Two I married, two I didn’t. Sharon (Phillips) is mum to my eldest boys, Shaun and Bradley Wright-Phillips. My third son is Brett. Then Deborah and I got married in 1993 and we have a son, Stacey, and a daughter, Bobbi."

He went on: "My daughter Coco was born in 2006 and I support her but play no other part in her or her mother’s life. And I married Nancy in 2011, and we have two daughters, Lola and Roxanne."

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