IT IS one of the most harrowing sports scandals in history.
John Terry's alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of his former friend and teammate Wayne Bridge, Vanessa Perroncel.
Fifteen years later, all three involved remain inevitably linked by the events that unfolded.
For Terry, his reputation would never be the same.
For Bridge, it remains perhaps what he is best known for.
So much so that the feud has just been brought back to the forefront of public consciousness.
YouTuber KSI hit out at Bridge with taunts about Terry setting up a Misfits Boxing fight which the former defender has since pulled out of because the “very personal comments crossed a line.”
But apart from the allegations about the actual affair – always denied by both Terry and Perroncel – the whole saga led to a lot of crazy moments.
From helicopter flights to endorsement T-shirts, from YouGov polls to a sociologist's newspaper – here's the bizarre story of what happened.
Bridge started dating Perroncel in 2005, the year after she met the French model and actress while working at a nightclub in Soho.
The couple had a son together, Jaydon, in 2006 and were good friends with Chelsea teammate Terry, who married childhood sweetheart Toni in June 2007.
But Bridge and Perroncel parted ways in the summer of 2009 following his January transfer from Chelsea to Manchester City.
Then Terry started visiting Perroncel and son Jaydon at their home in Surrey – although she insisted it was purely 'friendship' and 'cannot be described as an affair'.
Initially, the press was not allowed to report on the case after Terry's lawyers were served with an injunction.
But it was lifted in January 2010 when the judge claimed the order was not issued to protect Terry's privacy, but “to [his] reputation, especially with sponsors”.
And with that the floodgates opened.
The saga was truly the talk of the town in Britain.
With the story dominating the front pages of the newspapers, Toni and the three-year-old twins flew to Dubai to get away from it all – although she was soon spotted relaxing by the pool in her designer bikini.
JT would eventually join them when the dust finally settled, but that wouldn't be for a while.
Toni stood by her husband faithfully – despite the opinions of the British public.
That's because a YouGov poll was launched asking what she should do, with just SEVEN PERCENT backing the idea of her taking him back.
There was real division within football; even in the Chelsea dressing room, Terry was still leading and Bridge had already left.
Expressions of support were sent to Bridge both digitally and literally.
His City teammates Carlos Tevez, Stephen Ireland and Nigel de Jong all wore 'Team Bridge' T-shirts under their kit during a match.
Tevez himself was not afraid to make his views clear.
The Argentinian said: “If you behaved like that [Terry did] in Argentina you would be dead.
“In my opinion, Terry has no moral code for what he did to Bridge. If you do that near me, you will lose your legs.”
On February 5, Terry was stripped of the England captaincy he inherited from David Beckham – and Sky News was determined to keep the dramatic showdown with boss Fabio Capello going.
A helicopter with TV cameras followed Terry on his journey all the way to Wembley.
Once at FA headquarters, his meeting with the no-nonsense Capello lasted just twelve minutes and he was shown the door after returning the armband, which he is said to have recovered the following year.
Capello said: “It's not normal what happened between Terry and Bridge. I've never experienced it before.”
And the important decision even forced the Prime Minister to join the row.
Gordon Brown was questioned as he left a Cabinet meeting and replied: 'He had to make a decision quickly.
“He couldn't let it continue. But only he can know what effect this has in the dressing room.”
And the rise of social media allowed many fans and organizations to have their say, with very little consequence.
But one of the most surprising tweets came from popular football statistics account OptaJoe.
They wrote: “John Terry has scored more away from home than at home. Cheeky.”
Bridge left the England team on 25 February, saying his place in the squad was “untenable and potentially divisive”.
And that decision only increased the excitement and anticipation for Chelsea's home game against City just two days later.
'OWN KIND OF NATIONAL TRAUMA'
For a match that would have major implications for both the title race and City's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, all the pre-match talk was about two men, two former close friends facing each other for the first time since the scandal. broke.
One question was on everyone's lips: would Wayne Bridge shake John Terry's hand?
City leaders still urged Bridge in the Tunnel to do so, wanting to avoid adding more fuel to the fire.
Bookmakers offered different odds for the incident: one where each City player had to refuse Terry's hand at 7-2 and the other where both players were carded for a tackle, and the other at 10-1.
A 'Team Terry' banner was displayed at the Shed End of Stamford Bridge as the players walked out and lined up – and then came the key moment.
In one of the most famous insults of all time, Terry held out his hand and Bridge completely ignored it.
It was the defining image of the entire story.
A story that – combined with Terry's racism trial with Anton Ferdinand brought on by the taunting over Perroncel's accusations – led to Dr Neil Ewen writing an entire article on the subject.
The sociologist described the two controversies as a “peculiar kind of national trauma”.
Trauma also seems like the right word because of the personal impact and toll it has taken on everyone involved.
For Terry, despite his undeniable football talent, his reputation as a guy in the eyes of the public was torn apart.
For Perroncel, her life would never be the same again; her name was still intertwined between the two ex-Chelsea defenders.
For Bridge, his football career is remembered for something he did on the Stamford Bridge pitch on February 27, 2010, before the referee even blew for the kick-off to start the match.
And a decade and a half of despicable and hellish abuse and vitriol, most recently from KSI, despite his best attempts to move on and put it all behind him, sharing two children with his The Saturdays singer, Frankie Sandford.
Bridge said: “The most disappointing aspect of all this is that I am probably more famous for not shaking hands with anyone than I am for playing football.
“I get abuse when I walk on the street. I still don't think anyone knows the full story.”
Somewhat ironically, the Bridge family, the Terry family and Perroncel with son Jaydon all still live nearby in Surrey.
But the days of friendship are long gone; instead, it has been replaced by an awkward perpetual silence, both in private and in public.
The two former buddies and teammates still refuse to talk to each other.
And understandably, Terry, Bridge and Perroncel don't want to talk about the alleged affair that has gripped the nation.
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