Man Utd legend Lee Sharpe's very different life in Spanish paradise after heartbreak

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lee Sharpe was one of English football’s brightest young stars.

Plucked from Torquay United by Sir Alex Ferguson at just 17, the talented winger quickly made his mark at Manchester United, becoming a key figure in the club’s resurgence in the early 1990s.

Known for his skill on the pitch and photogenic good looks off it, Sharpe helped United secure three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup during his eight‑year stay at Old Trafford.

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But his life at the top came with its challenges. Ferguson was famous for his “hairdryer treatment,” and Sharpe often found himself on the receiving end.

Speaking to The Sun, he recalled one brutal halftime dressing‑down after a poor performance at Anfield: “He gave me the biggest rollicking of my life and told me to sell my house, move my girlfriend back home and get out there and play!”

The player followed those instructions, later adding: “He asked me now and then after that if I had a girlfriend or if I was married, but I always told him I’d got rid of my girlfriend, wasn’t getting married and not to ask me again!”

As United rose to dominate the newly formed Premier League, Sharpe embodied the image of the modern footballer - talented, well‑paid and living life in the fast lane.

But injuries and a loss of form saw his Old Trafford career stall, leading to moves to Leeds United and Bradford City before he finally retired from professional football in 2004. And that’s when Sharpe’s post‑football life took an unexpected turn.

In 2005, just a year after hanging up his boots, Sharpe became a household name all over again - this time on television. He joinedthe cast of Celebrity Love Island, an early version of the now‑famous ITV dating show.

There, he struck up a romance with TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss, who told viewers she had “never felt like this about anyone before.” But their relationship didn’t survive the cameras - Sharpe famously dumped Middlemiss for fellow contestant Abi Titmuss before the series ended.

The headlines didn’t stop there. Sharpe and Titmuss’ short‑lived romance soon fell apart amid allegations of cheating.

In her memoir, Titmuss recalled the painful moment she discovered his alleged infidelity: “I feel like I’m being physically torn in half. I have my boyfriend looking me straight in the eye, telling me he loves me and totally denying it. And in my hand I have the front page of a national paper with a woman swearing he had slept with her.”

It was the beginning of a tabloid storm. Over the following months, Sharpe was linked to promotions worker Kathryn Shaw - who described meeting him “on a little bridge near Rochdale” - and former Big Brother contestant Lisa Jeynes, who claimed they had a “marathon sex session that went on for hours.”

Other rumoured relationships included actress Kym Marsh and singer Michelle Heaton, strengthening Sharpe’s reputation as one of football’s original playboys.

But away from the gossip pages, Lee Sharpe's life was quietly beginning to change. By 2011, he had met Lucy Gardner, the woman who would become his wife.

Six years later, he proposed at a Cheltenham Races fundraiser in front of more than 250 guests. “It was absolutely wonderful to witness,” said Cathryn Hage of the Pied Piper charity, which hosted the event.

In 2019, the couple married on the Amalfi Coast and later relocated to Spain, where they now raise their three children. His Instagram bio reads: “Ex‑Manchester United, Leeds United and England Footballer, Golf Fanatic, Husband & Dad,” a nod to the family‑oriented life he now leads.

Life on the Spanish coast has given Sharpe a chance to step away from his headline‑grabbing past and pursue a new passion - golf.

“I’ve always loved golf,” he told the Express in 2023. “I started playing when I got to United when I was 17… The idea was that I was going to try and qualify for the British Open as an amateur.”

Now, he’s working towards turning professional in Spain: “Over here, it’s a bit of a different regime… That’s what I’m trying to do at the moment: turn pro in Spain.”

Despite building a life abroad, Sharpe still makes time for his roots. A recent Instagram post showed him enjoying time back in the UK, captioned: “A fantastic 2‑week trip back to the UK to see friends and family, North and South. There is no place like home, especially when the sun shines.”