The former Page 3 model said “people get less for murd3r” as she opened up for the first time.
Vernon Kay exchanged messages with Rhian Sugden while he was married (Image: Getty)
He insisted it was just banter and argued that he never acted inappropriately, publicly apologising to his wife Tess. Earlier this year, however, the pair confirmed they were calling it quits on their marriage with a joint statement. They said: “After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.”
Now 39-year-old Rhian has opened up on her part in the scandal in her new autobiography. She told The Mirror: “Of course there’ll be mention of him [Vernon, in the book] but I think people are expecting some wild revelation about a sordid affair that didn’t happen.
“People get less of a sentence for murd3r. I’d understand if there’d been a full-blown affair, but there wasn’t. Yet somehow, nearly 20 years later, it’s still something that follows me around.
“I’ve spent years building a career and businesses that I’m incredibly proud of, and I’d much rather people talked about those than one chapter of my life that refuses to go away.”
Sources also claimed that the book “isn’t about reopening old wounds or settling scores”, adding: “Rhian and Vernon both moved on with their lives, but somehow it’s always Rhian whose name gets dragged back into the headlines.”
Rhian Sugden broke her silence (Image: Getty)
Vernon apologised on BBC Radio 1 to his wife and called himself an “idiot” for his part in the messages.
He also shared his side of the story on I’m A Celeb, telling his campmates: “All that stuff is in the past, we’ve forgotten about that, we’ve moved on. It’s all gone. It’s disappeared.
