THE AXE
Who is Vinnie Jones and who is he currently dating?
Plus the tragedy surrounding his wife Tanya
VINNIE Jones has gone on to have a far more versatile career than many people might have expected during his footballing days.
Here's everything you need to know about the Hollywood star.
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Who is Vinnie Jones?
Vincent Peter Jones was born on January 5, 1965, in Watford, England.
He is an actor, presenter and former professional footballer.
Vinnie played between the years of 1984 and 1999 for clubs including Chelsea, Leeds United, Wimbledon and Queens Park Rangers.
During his playing career he was known as one of Wimbledon's "crazy gang" along with Dennis Wise, and John Fashanu.
He was given the nickname "The Axe" for his uncompromising style of play.
Since hanging up his boots, Vinnie has become a Hollywood actor, hosted his own TV show and is even taking to the stage in a West End musical.
What is Vinnie Jones’ singing experience?
Vinnie released an album of covers in 2002 titled Respect, which included covers of songs including Minnie The Moocher, Mustang Sally, and Dock Of The Bay.
In 1993 the former football hardman released a single called Wooly Bully, which was a cover of a song first released by Big Bo and The Arrows in 1962.
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He also appeared on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 alongside celebs including Olivia Olson.
Vinnie admitted that he only took part in the ITV talent competition because his wife was desperate for him to appear on the show and he wanted to pay tribute to her following her tragic death.
X Factor: Celebrity's Vinnie Jones tears up as fans chant his name after he dedicates song to late wife Tanya
What are Vinnie Jones’ biggest films?
The movie star’s biggest films include Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), Mean Machine (2001) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
His other credits include Gone In 60 Seconds (2000), The Midnight Meat Train (2008), Redirected (2014), The Condemned (2007), and Locked Down (2010).
He also had starring roles in The Riddle (2007) and Kill Kane (2016).
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What TV shows has Vinnie Jones been in?
Vinnie presented Vinnie Jones’ Toughest Cops USA in 2008 and Vinnie Jones’ Russia’s Toughest in 2013.
The actor starred in the TV series Arrow from 2015 to 2018 and played Gareth in Galavant between 2015 and 2016.
His other TV roles include his portrayal of Gunter Gastafsen in 2018’s Deception, and Scales in The Cape in 2010.
Since 2023, Vinnie has had his own Discovery+ show Vinnie Jones In The Country.
He also stars in Guy Ritchie’s 2024vNetflix comedy-drama The Gentlemen.
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What reality shows has Vinnie Jones’ starred in?
He famously appeared in the 7th series of Celebrity Big Brother and even celebrated his 45th birthday in the notorious house.
Vinnie finished in third place in 2010, despite being one of the favourites to win the show going into the house.
Katie Price's former spouse Alex Reid won the series and singer Dane Bowers was the runner-up.
Is Vinnie Jones married and does he have kids?
Vinnie’s wife Tanya died at the age of 53 at their home in Los Angeles on July 6, 2019, following a six-year battle with cancer.
At the time his spokesman told The Sun: “At 8.46am local time in Los Angeles on Saturday July 6, Vinnie Jones' wife, Tanya Jones, passed away after a long illness.
“Tanya passed peacefully at the Jones family home surrounded by Vinnie, their daughter and other family members.
“Vinnie and the family ask for privacy while they go through an understandable period of mourning during this devastating time.”
Emma has brought the light back into Vinnie’s eyes and she clearly makes him very happy
Source on Vinnie and Emma's relationship
The couple grew up in Watford and met and dated briefly as teens before going their separate ways.
But when Vinnie signed for Chelsea and returned to live in Watford he found Tanya living two doors away on the same street.
Vinnie and Tanya tied the knot in Watford in 1994 and renewed their vows after 13 years of marriage at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas.
They had one son together, Aaron, 33, and Vinnie is also stepdad to Kaley, 37 — Tanya's daughter from a previous marriage.
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Who is Vinnie Jones dating now?
The former defensive midfielder has found love again with his PA Emma Ford following the tragic death of his wife in 2019.
Pals said Vinnie, 59, was brought back to life by Emma, whom he affectionately calls “Blondie”.
A source said: “Vinnie and Emma’s relationship was very organic and started as purely a working friendship before it developed into something more.
"They’re not rushing into anything and just take every day as it comes.
“Emma has brought the light back into Vinnie’s eyes and she clearly makes him very happy.
"They are a great match and everyone who knows them was thrilled when they became a couple.”
Like her boyfriend, who celebrated 11 years of abstinence in April 2024, she is also a sober person.
Speaking about his romance in a March 2024 interview with , Vinnie said of Emma: “Maybe she’s calmed me down a little bit.
"Maybe she brings a different perspective to it all for me.”
Describing their relationship as "fantastic" he told the : “Moving forwards, we meet other people that we are fond of and we fall in love with and vice versa.”
Vinnie Jones' career highlights
WE take a look at the multi-talented star's highlights on and off the field:
- 1984 — 19-year-old Vinnie signed for Wealdstone in the Alliance Premier League on semi-professional terms while also working as a hod carrier on building sites
- 1986 — Signed his first fulltime professional contract for old First Division side Wimbledon, who paid Wealdstone £100,000 for the player
- 1989 — Transferred to Leeds for £650,000
- 1990 — Moved to Sheffield United, receiving a transfer fee of £700,000, going on to play 35 times for the Blades and score two goals
- 1991 — Chelsea bought Vinnie for £575,000, where he scored seven goals in 52 appearances
- 1992 — Just after the formation of the Premier League, he moved back to Wimbledon for the early stages of the 92/93 season, helping the team equal their highest ever league finish (in the top division) of sixth the following campaign
- 1994 — Made his international debut for Wales in a 3-0 defeat to Bulgaria in the Euro 96 qualifiers
- 1998 — Became player/coach of Queen's Park Rangers, scoring in his debut against Huddersfield before retiring from the sport later the same year
- 1998 — Featured as Big Chris in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
- 2000 — Appeared in his first Hollywood blockbuster Gone In Sixty Seconds alongside Nicholas Cage
- 2000 — Played iconic role of Bullet-tooth Terry in Snatch
- 2002 — Released an album of covers titled Respect, which included Minnie The Moocher, Mustang Sally, and Dock Of The Bay
- 2006 — Took on superheroes as villain Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand
- 2010 — Was a housemate in the seventh series of Celebrity Big Brother
- 2019 — Sang on The X Factor: Celebrity, but was the first contestant to leave the show
- 2023 — Got his own Discovery+ show Vinnie Jones In The Country
- 2024 — Landed a starring role in starring in Netflix comedy-drama The Gentlemen
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