England defender re-visits Ayia Napa – scene of notorious sex tape
MANCHESTER United and England football star Rio Ferdinand has been spotted holidaying in Paphos.
Reportedly staying at the luxurious five-star Elysium hotel, Ferdinand, whose United salary is around €135,000 a week has been seen enjoying a drink at the hotel swimming pool bar with a male friend. They were surrounded by a flock of women in swimsuits and bikinis.
And last Friday, the 33-year-old father of three enjoyed an evening out at the trendy Lime cocktail bar in the town, with footballer pal Ashley Williams who plays for Swansea City.
Staff and customers were said to be delighted at the star’s appearance, adding that he appeared to really enjoy the evening at the rooftop bar.
One female customer who was at the bar on Friday said: “Everyone was so excited to see him there. We don’t really get the chance to get up close and personal to many international celebrities in Paphos and even the boys were all staring at him. He seemed very pleasant and relaxed.”
His wife Rebecca and their three children – the youngest was born in April – have yet to be seen with the star. It is not clear if they are accompanying him, or if he is staying in Paphos alone on a boys’ holiday.
Rio and Ashley have also had a night out in Ayia Napa, the scene of the infamous sex tape scandal in 2000. However, it appears that this time he behaved himself.
A friend @snipermusic who’d joined the party on their evening jaunt tweeted: ‘Shout out to @rioferdy5 and @AshWills84 for buying @ArmandDeBrignac (expensive champagne) for their friends whilst they were on bottles of Water! #discipline.’
Back in January, Ferdinand told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper that his favourite holiday resort is Ayia Napa.
The defender was asked by a Twitter follower where he should go for a lads’ holiday.
And, despite the scandal that engulfed him in 2000, Rio replied: “Ayia Napa, Ayia Napa yeeeah! Memories!”
Rio hit the headlines when a sex tape filmed during a footballers’ getaway there was leaked.
Now 32, he was with mates including Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and former West Ham ace Kieron Dyer, when they filmed themselves romping separately with a blonde girl.
Speaking about the “highly embarrassing” incident in his autobiography Rio: My Story, he said: “On the holiday came a notorious episode of a few birds and a videotape which, all these years later, is still used as a stick to beat me, Frank and Kieron with.
“I had sex with one girl, which was taped with her consent, and that was it. OK, I’ve played up to the camera a bit, but she knew it was on and it didn’t bother her.
“It was made out that the girl was unaware of the filming, but there were only two of us in the room and the camera was on the top of the TV. Somehow, the camera got nicked.”
And red-faced Rio added: “About two weeks later I got a call from a newspaper about a video of me with a bird. I could have fainted. The video was wrong, yet to me it was harmless, just part of growing up.”
