Strictly star Tony Adams has been paired with Katya Jones for the 2022 series of the BBC dance show.
However, after a disappointing first week on Strictly Come Dancing, how long will the pair stick around?
And are they actually getting on?
Here’s everything you need to know about former footballer Tony and why he’s signed up for the show.
Who is Strictly Come Dancing contestant Tony Adams? When did he play for Arsenal?
Tony Adams MBE is a former English football player and manager.
He spent most of his career at Arsenal, where he played as a centreback for 19 years.
He’s often considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time.
He became Arsenal captain at the young age of 21 and he would remain club captain for the next 14 years until his retirement.
With 669 games under his belt, this gave him the nickname “Mr Arsenal.”
The former footballer also played for England, also captaining the team.
Tony made his debut for England against Spain in 1987, and played in UEFA Euro 1988.
He was a regular in the England team from 1987 to 2000 and captained England on 15 occasions including Euro 96.
He was the last England player to score at the old Wembley Stadium when he scored England’s second goal in a 2–0 friendly win over Ukraine on May 31 2000.
Tony Adams was the first, and remains to date the only, England player to make tournament appearances in three separate decades
What a career!
Why was Tony Adams called ‘Donkey’?
His Mr Arsenal nickname is much more appealing.
But Tony was actually called Donkey during his career, too.
This is because of his inelegant style on the football pitch.
However, he said he used the jibes from certain quarters of the press to inspire him.
He has commented: “It wasn’t nice and it hurt – my friends and family more than me, I think.
“However, when they hurt, you hurt and by the end, my dad realised there were too many people to beat up!
“But I tried to ignore it and set out to play that much better.”
Where is Tony Adams from?
The footballing legend was born in Romford, London. He then grew up in Dagenham, East London.
He shared in his book, Sober: “I was a shy, insecure little boy frightened of everything. Football was my first love, my first escape, my first addiction. That was the thing that I ran to if I had a problem.”
He signed for Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1980. He made his first-team debut in 1983 against Sunderland in the First Division, four weeks after his 17th birthday.
What age is Strictly contestant Tony Adams?
Tony Adams was born 10 October 1966, making him 55 years old.
Does Tony Adams have a wife and family? Is he married? How many children does he have?
Tony has been married twice. He wed his first wife, Jane Shea in 1992 but the two split in 1997, both struggling with addiction.
Tony had two children with Jane – Oliver and Amber. Jane was arrested for shoplifting in 2014.
He married his second wife, Poppy Teacher, in 2004 and the two have remained together since.
Poppy is a member of the Teacher whisky dynasty.
The couple share three children – Atticus, Hector and Iris.
This means Tony Adams has five children.
Why was Tony Adams in jail?
Tony Adams has been very open with his struggles with alcoholism. His addiction to alcohol led to him serving 58 days in Chelmsford Prison following a 1990 conviction for drink-driving.
He became one of the most high-profile recovering alcoholics in the UK with his battle with alcohol is detailed in his autobiography, Addicted, which was released in 1998 to enormous critical acclaim.
He released a follow-up book, Sober, in 2017 which describes his struggles to stay sober over 20 years.
In 2000, he founded Sporting Chance, a charity to help sportspeople with mental health and addiction issues, of which he remains Honorary president today.
Why did Tony Adams have heart surgery?
Tony shared in 2015 that he received minor heart surgery. He told The Guardian at the time that without the surgery “I would not be alive now. A minor heart operation saved my life.”
He experienced chest pain after exercising and a severely blocked artery was found, and has since been advocating for awareness around heart disease.
When did Tony Adams retire and what is he doing now?
Tony retired from professional football after a career spanning almost 20 years, his last match being the 2002 FA Cup Final.
The former Arsenal player became the manager of Wycombe Wanderers in November 2003.
Tony joined Portsmouth as assistant manager to Harry Redknapp in 2006, later becoming full-time manager.
He left Portsmouth in 2009 and has since managed Azerbaijani club Gabala FC of the Azerbaijan Premier League and Granada, in the Spanish Premier League.
Also recently launching his new venture, SIX MHS, which delivers Mental Health and Addictions services to non-sportspeople and non-sports organisations.
He has also started the charity, 6 Addiction, for people that can’t afford private mental health services.
How much is Tony Adams worth?
Reports of Tony’s net worth vary widely online – from £1 million to £45 million.
The best estimates place his wealth at between £3m and £5m.
Read More: Strictly contestants 2022: Full confirmed line-up for this year’s show
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