Nancy Dell’Olio has arrived at Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral in a leopard print ensemble – as she joined David Beckham in saying their final goodbye to the footballing icon.
The former England manager, 76, died in August following a battle against terminal pancreatic cancer.
Nancy, 63, who dated Eriksson for a decade before they split in 2007, this morning arrived to say goodbye to the ‘love of her life’ after being given the blessing to do so by Sven-Goran’s family.
She arrived at the send-off wearing a black leather trousers paired with a black blazer, white blouse, heeled boots, a leopard print coat and sunglasses.
As the Italian lawyer entered Fryksande Church in Sven’s hometown of Torsby, Sweden, footballing hero Beckham, 49, gave her a warm embrace.
Nancy Dell’Olio has arrived at Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral in a leopard print ensemble
As the Italian lawyer entered Fryksande Church in Sven’s hometown of Torsby, Sweden, footballing legend David Beckham gave her a warm embrace.
Pictured is the moment Beckham hugged Dell’Olio ahead of the funeral service
Afterwards, a solemn Beckham was seen gently placing his hand on Sven’s casket as the football hero said his final goodbye
Dell’Olio’s met Eriksson in 1998 and they started their relationship six months later.
The pair were hailed as a ‘power couple’ during the noughties, with Eriksson being England football manager and her being a top lawyer.
However, their relationship hit the rocks in 2002 after Eriksson’s whirlwind romance with TV presenter and model, Ulrika Jonsson.
Dell’Olio initially rubbished the rumours, claiming the pair were ‘more united’ than ever. ‘We have spoken a lot over the last few days and there has been a lot of rubbish written. Sven will speak and dismiss it all,’ she said at the time, adding: ‘It is all a publicity attempt by her.’
The love affair sparked a furious feud between Nancy and Ulrika, with the TV star lashing out, saying: ‘Sven is behaving like a lying cad. He promised me it was over with Nancy but then takes her out to dinner and doesn’t even call me.’
Sven and Nancy later got back together, but after he was linked to another woman, Dell’Olio ended things for good in August 2007.
Six years later, Sven released an autobiography in which he claimed he ‘fell out of love’ with Nancy after a year.
Reacting to the comments, Nancy told Hello!: ‘Everyone is entitled to have an opinion, of course they are, but not to lie.
‘For me it is a shame that I was with someone for nine years and yet I do not recognise this man at all.
‘I find it shocking how he talks about using women. Does he think that is something to be proud of? No real man would talk about women like that.’
However, after Sven-Goran’s shock cancer diagnosis, Nancy said she was ‘devastated’ and claimed she knew he was ill but ‘had no idea’ of his condition.
Dell’Olio’s met Eriksson in 1998 and they started their relationship six months later (the pair are pictured in 2006)
The duo were hailed as a ‘power couple’, with Eriksson being England football manager and her being a top lawyer
However, their relationship hit the rocks in 2002 after Eriksson’s whirlwind romance with TV presenter and model Ulrika Jonsson (pictured)
Dell’Olio (pictured today) ended her relationship with Sven-Goran in August 2007
She appeared on Good Morning Britain just two weeks ago, where she revealed her final conversation with the footballing hero.
She said: ‘I just said he was trying to put in the effort to say that he was fine on the phone because most of the time he was not answering or at treatment.
‘I never thought that he was about to die.
‘I always believed there would be some sort of miracle.
‘I’m sorry.’
Among those attending Sven-Goran’s funeral include his children Johan and Lina and his 95-year-old father, also called Sven.
Also among the 600-strong congregation saying goodbye was Bengt Berg, a childhood friend who helped Eriksson write his forthcoming book A Beautiful Game.
Other mourners included Eriksson’s partner Yaniseth Alcides, former Liverpool and Sweden footballer Glenn Hysén, former head coach of Sweden Tommy Söderberg and ex-Swedish footballer Thomas Nordahl.
Crowds who gathered outside the church to watch the arrivals from about 8am local time (7am UK time) also saw Andrea Möllerberg, general secretary, and Kim Källström, head of football at the Swedish football federation.
David Beckham and Nancy Dell’Olio embrace at the funeral for Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby today
David Beckham hugs Nancy Dell’Olio at Fryksände church in Torsby today ahead of the funeral for Sven-Göran Eriksson
David Beckham and Nancy Dell’Olio embrace at the funeral for Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby today
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s children Johan (left) and Lina (second left) arrive for his funeral at Fryksande Church in Torsby today
The funeral service for football coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is taking place at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, today
Yaniseth Alcides, partner of Sven-Göran Eriksson, arrives for the funeral in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s father, also called Sven, arrives at Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning for the funeral
Former England manager Roy Hodgson ahead of the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
The coffin of Sven-Goran Eriksson is carried into Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning ahead of his funeral
Former England player David Beckham with daughter of Sven-Göran Eriksson, Lina Eriksson, at the funeral this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s longtime lover Nancy Dell’Olio outside Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden ahead of today’s funeral
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s father Sven and son Johan greet each other outside Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Eriksson’s coffin arrived at Fryksande church at around 7am local time (8am UK), long before the arrival of any of the 600 guests – and a single bell tolled as his body was carried inside.
Ex-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, pictured in May 2006
Members of Sweden’s royal family were also expected to have been in attendance, with roads surrounding the church in the small town where Eriksson grew up cordoned off by police.
Among those to arrive early was Bengt Berg, who said: ‘I’m very happy and very sad at the same time. But it’s fantastic to see him returning to his first point. It’s a very curious feeling.
‘He’s one of us and we share his glory. But when he returned here, he was just one of the hot dog eaters.’.
Under Eriksson’s direction, England reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006, and the last-eight of Euro 2004.
He was England manager for five years, having previously guided Lazio to the Serie A title. He also managed Roma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria in Italy.
After stepping down from the England job, he held managerial posts with Manchester City, Leicester and the Mexico national team.
Nancy Dell’Olio greets Sven-Goran Eriksson’s son Johan on the steps of Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, today
Mourners stand outside the church in Torsby for the funeral of former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson
The funeral service for football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Mourners outside the funeral for football boss Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
David Beckham at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s daughter Lina ahead of the funeral at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
The funeral service for football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Artist Oscar Magnusson during the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
The funeral service for football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Mourners outside the funeral for football boss Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
A man wearing a IFK Goteborg football kit pays his respects outside the funeral service of Sven-Goran Eriksson today
Football coach Roger Palmgren arrives for the funeral of Sven-Göran Eriksson in Torsby this morning
Mourners outside the funeral for football boss Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
The ringing of a solitary bell on a chill, misty morning in the small, rural Swedish town of Torsby marked the start of Erikkson’s funeral service.
The song Sailing was played on the organ before the iconic 17th century English hymn Amazing Grace – the paean of a former slave trader turned abolitionist – was sung by the congregation in Swedish, with mourners remaining seated throughout.
Alongside pews running along the central aisle, attendees also sat on seats at the front and two balconies on either side, with a small group of accredited photographers located in front of the organ towards the back of the church.
Most mourners are dressed all in black, although some are carrying red roses.
In a sermon delivered in Swedish and then English, the vicars – one male and one female and dressed in white robes – described death as a ‘question mark, not a full stop’.
The male vicar, speaking in English, reflected how a person who is terminally ill may ‘yearn’ for death as a relief from their pain.
But death was described as a ‘ellipsis point used to show a continuation’. He added: ‘After death, there is continuation – it is not the end, but the beginning of something new.’
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Mourners outside the funeral for football boss Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
The funeral service for football coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is taking place at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, today
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s daughter Lina greets guests outside Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, before today’s funeral
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
The interior of Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning with the coffin before Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Yaniseth Alcides, partner of Sven-Göran Eriksson, arrives for the funeral in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Former England player David Beckham with daughter of Sven-Göran Eriksson, Lina Eriksson, at the funeral this morning
A floral wreath from Tord Grip and his family during the funeral of Sven-Göran Eriksson in Torsby this morning
Mourners outside the funeral for football boss Sven-Göran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral is taking place at Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Nancy Dell’Olio greets Sven-Goran Eriksson’s son Johan on the steps of Fryksande Church in Torsby, Sweden, today
A man wearing a IFK Goteborg football kit pays his respects outside the funeral service of Sven-Goran Eriksson today
David Beckham arrives at the funeral service for Sven-Goran Eriksson at Fryksände church in Torsby, Sweden, this morning
Providing some personal reflections, he continued: ‘Today is a day of grief, but also a day of thankfulness. There is much to be thankful for. In time, this thankfulness may fill some of the emptiness that he leaves behind.’
He spoke of the ‘many fine memories’ of Eriksson, including precious time spent at home, which was ‘finer than a five star hotel’. He was described as ‘kind’, while the vicar also reflected on his tendency to wear suits as a child and read detective novels.
He called him a loving father, who ‘was rubbish at shopping’. He was also said to struggle with dancing before becoming ‘proficient at salsa’.
Eriksson was described as ‘never late’ and a lover of routine – rising early for breakfast even on holidays.
He was a big reader and interested in politics, religion and history, although he also admired the finer things in life like wine and travelling first class, the vicar said.
He was said to combine an ‘iron’ will with a humble, considerate demeanour. The vicar described his last few weeks as ‘full of life’ – accompanied with ‘outpourings of love’ – including when he walked onto the pitch with his granddaughter at Anfield.
The congregation stood for the Commendation, before a reading from the Gospel of Luke, 20:38 – ‘He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.’
