Daily Record

WIDOW MARY: I’VE LOST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

- THE LION KING: 8-PAGE PULLOUT

TOMMY Gemmell’s wife Mary told yesterday of her sorrow at losing the “love of my life”.

Mary, 64, who married Tommy in 1986, said: “When I first met him, I had no idea who he was.

“I was not a football fan when we met in Majorca one summer.

“I was a nanny to my friend’s children and I went along to a bar one night to have a drink with the girls.

“Tommy was there with Bertie Auld and a couple of other players on a golfing outing.

“We got chatting, but I still hadn’t a clue about this guy who was apparently a Celtic superstar.

“I liked him, but it wasn’t love at first sight.

“He was a big charmer, though. I was well aware of that, but there were no arrangemen­ts for another meeting.

“As luck would have it, we met again quite by accident at a function back in Scotland.”

Mary opened her heart yesterday after Tommy’s death following a long illness.

She spoke of how a pal encouraged her to go on a date with the Celtic and Scotland legend, who also played for and managed Dundee in the 1970s.

She said: “By this time, I knew all about ‘Big Tommy Gemmell of Celtic’ and he asked me out on a date.

“I hesitated, but a friend of mine said, ‘He’s only asking you out for a dinner, not asking you to marry him. Go and have a good time, he looks good company’.

“The rest is history. That man became the love of my life. I loved him to bits.

“He was my special guy, my best friend, my soul mate, my rock.

“Like any couple, we had our ups and downs, but we were totally devoted to each other.

“Tommy really was a humble guy. What you saw was what you got. It was not an act.

“He loved Celtic Football Club. And, please believe

me, he loved the Celtic fans. He would do anything for them.

“We went to supporters’ functions all over the world and Tommy took an interest in each individual club.

“He passed out all his numbers and told them to keep in touch. Right up until the end, he autographe­d this, that and the next thing for the Celtic fans.

“We could be in company, having a quiet dinner, and a supporter would come up looking for an autograph.

“Tommy obliged on each and every occasion. By the time he got back to the table, his dinner would be cold.

“He simply accepted that as payback to the people he called the most wonderful fans in the world.”

A tearful Mary added: “I was with him right up until the end. I had to accept the inevitable.

“He fought all the way and showed again he wasn’t a quitter.

“But it was a battle he couldn’t win.”

Mary has been comforted by the tributes paid to Tommy since the sad news broke.

She said: “Since the early hours of the morning, I have been absolutely overwhelme­d by the reaction since the news came out.

“I have received phone calls and text messages from places such as Hong Kong, New York, New Zealand.

“Oh, you name a place or a country and I’ve been told what a tremendous individual my husband was. Seriously, it’s just been phenomenal. I’ve been knocked out by the response from so many well-wishers throughout the planet. “I appreciate all of it. “But I can tell you this, there is one person who wouldn’t have believed he was so popular.

“Tommy didn’t see himself as a legend or anything like that. He was a genuinely modest guy and that was another reason he was so special to me.

“Now I have to get on with life without this wonderful, precious man.

“To football fans, he was Tommy Gemmell, legend.

“To me, he was Tommy Gemmell, love of my life.”

Tommy married his first wife Anne in 1967.

They had two children, Karen and David.

Tommy is also survived by a brother, David, and two sisters, Moira and Anna.

 ??  ?? REUNITED Tommy, second left back row, with Lions in 2004. Picture: Garry F McHarg
REUNITED Tommy, second left back row, with Lions in 2004. Picture: Garry F McHarg
 ??  ?? DEVOTED Tommy Gemmell and his wife Mary
DEVOTED Tommy Gemmell and his wife Mary

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom