RONNI TELLS WHY FOOTBALL DROVE HER CRAZY

Ronni says that writing A Matter Of Life And Death, Or How To Wean A Man Off Football with fellow impressionist and ex-boyfriend Alistair was “extremely difficult”.

In the book, Ronni, 41, offers a 12-step guide to steering men away from the game, while footie-mad Alistair, 44, tries to take up the challenge. But while it might sound like fun, the pair, who are best known for their TV show The Big Impression, put their split largely down to Alistair’s addiction to the sport.

“The book is not just about football,” Ronnie says. “It is largely about our relationship and why it ended. So some of it was very hard to write and very emotional, but cathartic at the same time.”

Alistair says the root of his obsession lies in his relationship with his father. “Every boy wants something to bond with their father over and often it is football.”

The pair went out for seven years, splitting in 1998. Ronni has since married and had two children with doctor Gerard Hall. Alistair has been with his partner, who he will not name, for three years.