Vinnie Jones, the actor and former professional footballer, has revealed that his late wife Tanya was instrumental in his decision to become sober. He stated that he hated seeing her disappointment stemming from his struggles with alcohol.
Jones, 61, described his wife's reaction to his past behavior as a more potent deterrent than any legal consequences. "The police and jail didn’t bother me," he told The Telegraph. "My punishment was Tan’s disappointment. I could see it in her eyes. She’d say: 'We can’t keep doing this'."
His past issues with alcohol were well-documented during his football career and early acting days, often leading to public incidents. A particularly notable incident involved a bar brawl that left him waking up "chained to the bed" with "68 stitches in my head."
Tanya Jones was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2013, and she died in 2019 after the cancer spread to her brain. Seven years after her passing, Jones reflected on his process of managing grief, stating that he had to "get on" with it.
Jones has since moved on and is in a relationship with Emma Ford. He met Ford in 2022 when she was hired as his personal assistant for a television show. The couple went public with their relationship in 2024. He shared that Ford had spoken with Tanya, promising to look after him, which he described as a "defining moment."
"Tanya was a beautiful soul, and so is Emma," Jones said. "Good-looking too! I’m incredibly lucky to have met her, but she’d say the universe brought us together." He added that he believes Tanya would have wanted him to find happiness and a new partner, stating, "I'm at peace because does she want you to be on your own? No, because you're not going to be happy."