Former England footballer and Gladiators legend John Fashanu has publicly apologised to his daughter and revealed he is divorcing his wife in a scathing statement.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Fashanu, who presented the TV show for six seasons in the 1990s when he became associated with the catchphrase ‘Awooga’, took a brutal swipe at his ‘soon-to-be ex-wife’ and regretted spreading misinformation about his daughter, Amal.
Fashanu said: ‘I’m here to clarify a few things, very important things. The video I previously did was wrong.
‘I was misinformed by my wife Vivian, who I’m sorry to say I am divorcing. Now that I am aware of the truth I apologise to my daughter Amal and legal action will be taken against the liar.’
Fashanu was speaking to camera in the post, which was captioned: ‘I was the one who called my daughter, Amal, to become involved in my business because she is my first daughter, and she has always held a very special place in my heart.
‘Sadly, I allowed myself to be misinformed and influenced. My soon-to-be ex-wife, Vivian, created unnecessary division between me and my daughter, and I deeply regret allowing that to happen.’
John Fashanu has apologised to his daughter Amal and revealed he is divorcing his wife
Speaking more about their feud, the former Wimbledon star continued: ‘Amal, I want to publicly say I’m sorry for that previous video. It was made at a time when I was listening to someone else’s anger instead of following my own heart.
‘The truth is, Amal and I have a wonderful relationship. She will always be my first daughter, and she will always have a place by my side, helping me with my affairs.
‘I couldn’t be prouder of the intelligent, strong and compassionate woman she has become. What makes me even prouder is that she never chose to retaliate. As she always says, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”.
‘Those words have stayed with me, and they say everything about the kind of person she is.’
The 63-year-old, who has been married three times, also insisted that ‘life is too short for division’ and that ‘family is everything’, before he hinted that he and his daughter are trying to repair things.
His latest post comes after Fashanu had bizarrely denied claims Amal made about him earlier this summer.
Fashanu apologised to his daughter Amal (pictured together in 2012) for how he had acted
Former footballer Fashanu presented Gladiators in the early 1990s alongside Ulrika Jonsson
She had said that they had reconciled ahead of her wedding and hoped that he would attend, but added he had been ‘laid low by a mystery condition’.
Fashanu, however, refuted these claims and instead insisted his daughter was trying to defame him.
During his football career, the 63-year-old played for several clubs but was most associated with Wimbledon where he scored more than 100 goals and won the 1988 FA Cup.
After retiring due to injury in his early 30s, he presented Gladiators alongside Ulrika Jonsson.
