John Fashanu says wife tried to KILL
him after 'walking in on raunchy sex
party'
The former Gladiators host is now at
the centre of a bitter divorce battle
with Abigail – and also insists SHE
cheated on him with a woman
Soccer legend John Fashanu has accused
his wife of trying to kill him – after she
allegedly found him bedding two women at
the same time.
The retired former Wimbledon and England
striker said estranged Abigail Onyekwelu
went for him with a knife during a furious
row at their home.
Fashanu, also a former Gladiators host, is
now at the centre of a bitter divorce battle
with Abigail – and insists SHE cheated on
him with a woman.
She denies his claims and the astonishing
battle – which includes the accusation that
he bedded their maid – is to be played out
in the high court in Abuja, Nigeria.
Furious Abigail, 48, said last night: “Good
riddance to bad rubbish! I’ve left him and
washed my hands.”
But Fashanu, 52 – dubbed Fash the Bash for
his hardman reputation in Wimbledon’s
famous “Crazy Gang” – hit back with an
extraordinary series of allegations.
He said he had to call in police to protect
him from knife-wielding Abigail and was
devastated to find her in bed with another
woman.
He also alleged that she stole thousands of
pounds in cash from their marital home.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday People
the star – who now presents the Nigerian
version of TV’s Deal or No Deal – said: “She
attempted to use knives on me. It was
terrifying.
“My life was at stake, there’s no two
ways about that.
“Even if you did think I was sleeping
with the maid, or even if you thought I
was sleeping with Miss Nigeria, don’t
kill me! Just leave me and go. The
violence was just too much.”
6ft 2in Fashanu added: “My life was at risk
and I didn’t want it to happen again. That’s
why I filed for divorce.”
He denied his wife’s claim to have
discovered him in bed with two other
women – one of them their maid.
“I’ve been very fortunate to date
some of the most beautiful women in
the world,” Fash insisted. “I certainly
don’t have to sleep with my cleaner!
“This is me, John Fashanu, you’re
talking to. It’s absolute nonsense. If
she wants to make up that story, at
least let her say it’s Beyoncé or
someone.
“Don’t say it’s my cleaner, that’s just
b******s. It’s not true at all.
“The truth is she’s been cheating on
me with a woman she calls her
spiritual partner.
“I caught them in the bed many times.
That was why I kicked her out of my
house.”
Abigail is the mother of former beauty
queen Adaeze Yobo. Fashanu met her
in 2009. They married two years later
but the relationship hit the skids last
year.[/b]
Father-of-five Fashanu claimed police
are now investigating an attack on
him. He also alleged that officers are
trying to retrieve missing cash from
Abigail.
He said:[b] “I’m the one who is filing
for divorce. I couldn’t stand her and, to
be honest, she probably couldn’t stand
me. With Abigail it was just money,
money, money.
“I’ve never seen a woman who has
such an appetite for money. Nearly
one million Nigerian naira (around
£3,300) was stolen from my house in
Abuja. There are police reports you
can see.
“There were so many assaults, it was just
getting too much. It was absolutely
ridiculous. She attacked me on multiple
occasions. The whole situation was far too
hot for me. There are some wonderful,
wonderful women. It’s just that I met the
wrong one.”
Glamorous socialite Abigail, a qualified
lawyer and mother-in-law to former
Nigerian football captain Joseph Yobo, paints
a totally different picture of the marriage
breakdown.
The mother of four said: “John’s saying
I tried to kill him? Oh my God, this is
so funny. I don’t quite understand all
this.
“How can I kill him? How can
somebody like me kill this huge man
who is an expert in karate. I don’t
understand how I can kill him.”
Told that he had accused her of going to his
house armed with knives before trying to
attack him, Abigail retorted: “Oh my God,
that is ridiculous.”
She also rejected Fashanu’s claim that he
threw her out of his house
after finding her in bed with another
woman.
Abigail said: “He didn’t kick me out of
his house. We were living in my
house. He couldn’t have kicked me out
of my own house – I kicked him out.”
Of the woman concerned, she insisted:
“She is a good friend to me. She has a
husband and children. It is ridiculous. She
was living with me for a while to get back
on her feet.”
[b]Abigail went on: “I caught him in bed
with two women, the housemaid and one
other woman. There were two women, it
was awful.
“They were on the bed. They were
undressed. I said to them, ‘Who are you
and what’s going on here?’
“He told me that he doesn’t know what he’s
doing and I should pray for him. He knows
how to manipulate people, that’s one thing
he is good at.
“I last saw him in April last year. I didn’t
know he’d filed for divorce. He has been
calling people asking them to plead with me
to get back with him.
“I would have filed for divorce myself but I
haven’t because I’ve been very busy. And
he asked me not to because he did not
want to make it known that we had
separated.
[/b]
“So I went on my way and I left him but I
didn’t tell anybody anything.
“I’ve told him, ‘I don’t want you any more, I
have forgiven you, I’m a Christian. But I
don’t want you any more, just leave me
alone.’
I don’t take him seriously. I don’t have time
for him. If I should be angry at anyone, I
should be angry at myself for descending
so low as to enter into marriage with such a
person.”
Responding to claims she stole money
from Fashanu, Abigail added: “Anybody can
say anything – but how can I go to his
house and steal from him in his house?
“I wasn’t living there with him. He’s sick and
he needs help.”
Fashanu was born in London to a Guyanan
nurse, Pearl, and Nigerian barrister, Patrick.
After they split up he had a spell in a
Barnado’s home and was fostered in
Norfolk.
His football career included spells with
Norwich City, Lincoln City, Crystal Palace,
Millwall and Aston Villa.
He joined Wimbledon in 1986 and famously
won the FA Cup in 1988 in a team including
Vinnie Jones and Lawrie Sanchez.
Fashanu scored more than 100 goals during
his 17-year career, which also included two
appearances for England.
After retiring from football he hosted the hit
1990s TV show Gladiators for seven years
alongside Ulrika Jonsson.
In 2003 he starred as a contestant in the ITV
reality show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of
Here.
His first marriage, to Ivory Coast model
Melissa Kassa-Mapsi, ended in divorce in
2004. Now Fashanu is a famous and
respected figure in Africa.
He has carried out extensive charity work
and is understood to have been a friend of
Nelson Mandela.
He is a UN Ambassador for Nigeria, a
former Unicef goodwill ambassador for 53
African countries and a former board
member of the Nigeria Football Association.
He also worked to develop professional
football across Africa and was Nigeria’s
Ambassador for Sport and Tourism.
Fashanu now presents the Deal or No Deal
Nigeria game show on The Africa Channel
and is a successful businessman with
interests in London and Abuja.
But the star suffered heartbreak when his
brother Justin, who was Britain’s first
openly gay professional footballer, hanged
himself in London in 1988.
After his brother’s suicide, Fashanu
expressed remorse for disowning him
because of his homosexuality.
But he later claimed he did not believe Justin
was genuinely gay.
Wife Abigail claims he has fathered six
children by three different women.
Meanwhile he added: “I filed the divorce
petition in September and it’s listed for
mention on the 19th of next month at the
court in Abuja. We’re trying to move it
through.”
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