Christine has helped me with players, says Frank
CHELSEA boss Frank Lampard has revealed he turns to his Northern Irish wife Christine when faced with tough decisions about the Blues.
The 42-year-old former England footballer admitted he often consults with TV presenter Christine over his players’ “life issues”.
“She definitely coaches me. I do throw a lot of things off Christine,” said Frank.
“She’s not picking what fullback we’re going to play that weekend but at the same time, if I have certain issues which are life issues — and actually football issues sometimes — I can definitely go home and ask.”
The former midfielder added: “It’s a different view, a different opinion.
“I go, ‘Christine, what do you think about this problem — I’ve got a player here and he didn’t turn up for training yesterday. But we still probably need him on the weekend — what do you think?’
“And she goes: ‘Does he have a girlfriend, a wife? Is there a problem? Have you spoken to them? Maybe you should speak to them’.
“So she’s not my life coach as such, but I’m very fortunate to
have someone to bounce things off of at home.”
Frank, who took up the Chelsea post last July, married Newtownards native Christine (41), formerly Bleakley, in 2015.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Patricia, in September 2018.
Christine is also step-mum to Frank’s eldest daughters Luna (15) and Isla (13) with former fiancee Elen Rivas.
Frank added that the Loose Women presenter also helps him keep his head out of the game sometimes, as he is guilty of getting “bogged down”.
Speaking to The High Performance Podcast, he said: “Christine has a bit of a joke with me at home when we’re watching football constantly all the time.
“She does reflect on the fact that it’s only kicking a ball...
“She’s almost like, you are becoming really, really intense about all this, and maybe not seeing a bit of clarity in this instance.”
On Christine’s work ethic, doting husband Frank said: “She’s had a really good career in what she does, and I really sort of — I obviously love her very much but I really respect her for how she’s got on in her career and work, and how diligent she is.”