Frank Lampard, a former England manager, opens up about his and Christine’s marriage and whether he could succeed him as England manager.
A legend on the football pitch, Coventry manager Frank Lampard says winning at marriage is a completely different ball game. Ex-Chelsea and England midfielder-turned Coventry manager, Frank will celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary to TV presenter Christine later this year.
He reveals in a close interview that “we support each other and laugh each other,” keeping things real. Our humor is comparable to yours. We usually think the same thing, so when we’re laughing together, I believe laughter is important for a happy marriage because Christine is quite sharp and we’re usually thinking the same thing.
Frank met the then Christine Bleakley at The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards in London back in October 2009. But she thought he was pulling her leg when he told her he was a fan of The One Show, which she then presented with Adrian Chiles and she gave him a lighthearted brush off.
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He called her as she was returning from work and called her. She continued, “I said, Wow, you’re keen!” as a bit of a joke, and we exchanged. He claimed he liked speaking with me and would like to communicate. Fast forward 16 years and Frank and Elen Rivas have two children, Patricia, 6, and Freddie, 4, who were previously in a relationship with Spanish model Elen Rivas.
“Having two young children does impose itself, and Christine has her own successful career, as well as being essentially a full-time mother,” Frank adds. We work hard to find the right balance between our lives, and we also show support for one another. It is also helpful to understand each other’s lives because both of our jobs require a lot of scrutiny and scrutiny. However, I’d be lying if I said that Christine is a fantastic mother and that she takes more responsibility for our children.
Both aged 46, a shared love of football is also a big factor in their relationship. Christine co-hosts the Not Just Football podcast, where she discusses football and other subjects with TV sports presenters Hayley McQueen and Kelly Cates. Frank continues: “I do have a pretty good work-life balance at Coventry, but at the same time I sometimes have to be away from home and Christine takes the brunt of the parenting. We enjoy being parents together but it’s important to have time together, too.
“We got married in December 2015 – it was beautiful and we had a fantastic Christmas, but our 10th anniversary coming up is one of the busiest times of the year for us. So we haven’t any big plans yet, maybe we’ll put it on hold and celebrate later with a trip somewhere.” Work is also an important part of life for Frank, who became one of the greatest attacking midfielders of his generation, playing for West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City and debuting for England in 1999.
Frank played for the England team in 2006, 2010 and 2016, scoring 29 goals, while also promoting the British Heart Foundation, Sky, and EFL’s Every Minute Matters campaign, which uses a 15-minute online course from the BHF’s RevivR tool. Despite hanging up his football boots in 2017, Chelsea’s top goal scorer ever, still holds that title.
He says, “You hear stories of people having cardiac arrest more and more frequently, but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older,” he says. This campaign is important to me because I have family members who have heart problems. But hearing about younger footballers who have experienced cardiac arrests p shocks me even more. You can learn CPR in 15 minutes, saving someone’s life.
Frank, who while playing for Chelsea won a host of honours, including the Premier League and the Champions League and was awarded an OBE in 2015 for his services to football, has turned Coventry FC’s fortunes around since becoming their manager – helping them move from a relegation-threatened position to a play-off contender.
And the incredibly ambitious sportsman has suggested that he might even consider becoming England’s manager. He claims, “I’ve come to Coventry and I’m really enjoying my work.” having gone through various managerial experiences, including the Premier League, the Champions League, and Everton’s relegation fight. And now that I’m back, I want to put some good work into the squad to make sure we can win it again next year. I’ll then take those kinds of options into account. Although I’m proud of myself, my main focus is on Coventry and performing my duties as effectively as I can.
He speaks modestly about his success as manager, saying, “There’s no absolute genius on my part; I tried to make a quick impact when I joined Everton mid-season and was trying to get quick results, but every job, squad, and individual is different. I try to instill confidence and enthusiasm in the team, deliver concise instructions on the training pitch, and build on that. In terms of environment, I entered a very nice dressing room.
“We have a really good team that wants to do well for the club, and we’re in a position where we can try to make the playoffs in our final game of the season, which we never expected, but now it’s a reality and we want more.” When you work as a manager, things are a lot different because you have to try to work with the entire squad.
The football club has a duty to guide and oversee both on and off the field. When you transition from being a player to a manager, you must first pick up new skills as soon as possible. There are a lot of problems and challenges you must resolve, so you must constantly strive to improve. And you must maintain your composure in both good and bad times, which is more responsibility, but I also believe that enjoying good fortune is better.
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