My drug-dealing ex ‘beat the s***’ out of an England football player… former Page 3 model turned Ted Lasso actress Keeley Hazell on the abusive relationship that ‘changed her life’

A bloodied England football player sprinted out of my council house bedroom weeks before the World Cup after being attacked by my violent ex-boyfriend, Ted Lasso star Keeley Hazell has revealed on the Daily Mail’s Life of Bryony podcast.

The 38-year-old opened up to columnist Bryony Gordon about her toxic relationship with a drug dealer that she says ‘changed the course of her life.’

You can listen to this episode of The Life of Bryony by clicking the player below or here

Hazell candidly discussed her difficult adolescence growing up on a Lewisham council estate and her discovery of an escape route by becoming a Sun Page 3 girl.

Leaving glamour modelling behind in 2009, Hazell has since gone on to appear in Horrible Bosses 2 and Apple’s Ted Lasso alongside former partner Jason Sudeikis.

The actress’s essay collection, Everyone’s Seen My T**s, chronicles her experiences from troubled teenager to Page 3 star and how she escaped the violence that defined her early life.

‘Can you imagine something like this happening now? It would be insane’, Hazell began.

‘We were on a night out at Embassy – the page three girls had been partying with the England football team. We would always be in the same nightclubs.

‘I went to the bathroom and by the time I came out, everyone had left apart from ‘JC’. He was completely intoxicated. The World Cup was only a couple of weeks out.

‘JC had lost his wallet and couldn’t go home – so I ended up taking him back to my mum’s house, a council home in south-east London.

‘I put him to bed in my childhood bedroom… then ‘Theo’, my boyfriend at the time, came over to collect his car.

‘When Theo found out what was happening, he went up to the room. He goes in there and while JC is sleeping, just beats the s*** out of him.

‘JC sprinted out of there – the story was on the front pages of all newspapers.’

Hazell’s experiences as a Page 3 model mixing with Premier League footballers inspired Jason Sudeikis to create the character of Keeley in Ted Lasso.

Hazell revealed she was meant to play Keeley, before Hollywood executives chose to cast an actress with a bigger resume.

The actress reflected on the moment her ex attacked the unnamed footballer as one of many times she could have left the abusive relationship.

Leaving glamour modelling behind in 2009, Hazell has since gone on to appear in Horrible Bosses 2 and Apple’s Ted Lasso alongside former partner Jason Sudeikis

Hazell’s experiences as a Page 3 model mixing with Premier League footballers inspired Jason Sudeikis to create the character of Keeley in Ted Lasso

She said that relationship changed ‘the course of her life’, with Theo later releasing a sex tape of the couple without her consent.

‘It was my rock bottom’, Hazell said of the video.

‘I always think about the moment when I found out about the tape. I went to the newsagent and bought a copy – I took it outside and threw up.

‘It felt like somebody had hit me with a brick… I knew I could never get back together with that man.’

The tape incident ultimately led Hazell to leave glamour modelling and pursue acting in America.

To hear more about how Hazell lost out on playing herself in Ted Lasso and other stories from her incredible life, search for The Life of Bryony now, wherever you get your podcasts.