TONY Bellew has just been announced in the 2023 I’m A Celeb line up – but who will he be leaving behind at home?
The former English boxing champion will be waving goodbye to wife Rachael Roberts as he flies to Australia and lands in the jungle next week.
He shares three boys with his childhood sweetheart Rachael, called Corey, Cobey and Carter.
Before one of his legendary fights in the ring, Tony taunted his opponent by saying: “I’m more frightened of my missus than you. I wouldn’t f***ing dare cross her. I wouldn’t mess with her.
“I will say one thing, I fear no man. I don’t give a f*** about any man on this planet. I would fight any man. I tell you what though, I don’t go home to her with a penny short.
“She’s my toughest fight. I said this [fight] would be my last one… That’s a real fight, persuading her if I can carry on.”
Rejected three times
Tony and Rachael grew up together in nearby Merseyside neighbourhoods and met when they were just nine-years-old.
Their romance was sparked years later when 18-year-old Tony met Rachael on a night out.
He was working as a nightclub bouncer at the time and became completely besotted.
Despite Rachael rejecting him three times, she eventually realised he was the one for her.
An insider close to the childhood sweethearts said: “Their first date was a trip to the cinema and a milkshake before it.
“Rachael told him that if he wasn’t the perfect gentleman to her on the date, he’d blow his only chance.
“So right from the off it was clear to him that she was a strong woman who didn’t take any nonsense.”
Since then, Rachael’s strength hasn’t wavered, and today her fierce protection over her husband has become notorious.
The woman who stuck by him throughout
But Tony’s route to the top wasn’t easy: in the early days of their relationship he was a small-time amateur, making just £100 from each fight.
He had to work a string of other low-paid jobs to make ends meet, and worked as a labourer and a lifeguard in addition to doing shifts in security, retail, and even in a pillow factory.
Rachael stuck by Tony throughout, and eventually his persistence paid off.
After winning close to 50 bouts in the early Noughties, it was in 2007 that he finally turned pro.
Tony’s rise to fame continued, and he even became friends with his idol, fellow Liverpudlian and his Everton hero, Wayne Rooney.
‘He has all he needs in Rach’
When he finally tied the knot with Rachael in 2018, it was at a private, low-key ceremony in Cheshire’s Peckforton Castle.
His wife and kids – Corey, Cobey and Carter – are his sole focus.
Our source explained: “Because he’s been with her since they were teenagers, Rachael’s extremely confident and assured about her place in the relationship and there’s no doubt she’s the one who wears the trousers.
“In truth, he may be the breadwinner, but she’s the one who runs the ship behind closed doors and that’s the way he likes it.
“Tony has a very simple philosophy about his private life – he doesn’t need all the trappings of fame because he has everything he needs in Rach.”
“When Tony isn’t training in the gym, he prioritises his time with Rachael and the children,” our source added. “He loves to cook for her and their favourite thing is just being at home together watching TV and chilling.
“They’re each other’s best friends so it’s not like they always need to be doing something really big or lavish to enjoy themselves.”
Tony is a hands-on dad who loves “goofing around” with his kids, while Rachael will “keep them all in line”.
While they enjoy family holidays and have a nice home in Merseyside near their families, Rachael is said to be strict on not letting the children become spoilt.
Our insider revealed: “They teach the kids that just because daddy has made good money, they aren’t going to have a different life to other children.”
A movie star who shuns the fame game
In 2014, Tony got a phone call asking him to star as “Pretty” Ricky Conlan in Rocky spin-off Creed, alongside Sylvester Stallone.
While the 2015 film massively benefited Tony financially, he’s since said he couldn’t wait to return home after each day on set.
And his movie experience made him more adamant that he “hated fame”.
“I am honoured when kids come up to me and tell my they idolise me, or whatever,” he said after the film. “But I don’t want that because I am nobody’s idol. I am just a normal bloke who likes having a fight. I am nothing special. I do not see myself that way.”
Our source added: “Even though Rachael and Tony are constantly asked to meet different celebrities, that kind of life just isn’t for them.
“Once a month, they’ll have friends around for dinner and it’s always the same group. Rachael and Tony have no desire to start social climbing or anything like that.”
