GARY NEVILLE has opened up about breaking up with his old fiancee Hannah Thornley.
The former couple dated for several years and were engaged before their split in 2000.
News Group Newspapers LtdGary Neville split from former fiancee Hannah Thornley in 2000[/caption]
PANeville admitted the break-up affected his form[/caption]
Neville, 48, touched on the relationship when explaining his dip in form after winning the Treble with Manchester United in 1999.
He admitted the break-up with Hannah was a big setback for him at the time but he now believes it was for the best – he later married Emma Hadfield in 2007 and the pair are still together.
Neville opened up on the split and explained how and why they decided to go their separate ways.
He told The Daily Ketchup Podcast: “I’d been seeing someone for about four, five, six years and that relationship broke up at the same time and it threw me completely.
“Like I was engaged to her and it was my first sort of girlfriend for six years and you think you’re going to be with them forever and all of a sudden it’s over and you think that wasn’t supposed to happen.
“We were going to get married. For me that was something for the best when I look back.
“She went to go and do a placement of six months in France and Germany and she went to Germany first and that was fine and when she went to France for six months, she met someone over there who she got close to who was on the course and when she came back she ended it.
“We did have a couple of meetings after that (the Treble) but it was a few months after and it doesn’t quite work or feel the same because the trust is broken. The trust, the feeling is gone. You’ve got me talking about stuff I never talk about!
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
“The girl that I’m talking about was the sister of one of my good friends [Ben Thornley].”
Hannah reportedly began dating a childhood sweetheart following her split from Neville.
Hannah’s brother Ben Thornley graduate from the United academy alongside Neville in 1992.
Thornley once featured in a photoshoot alongside David Beckham and was tipped to reach the top before injury cut short his career.