Harry Redknapp reveals secret to happy 56-year marriage - and it's last thing you'd imagine

says the secret to his 56-year marriage to Sandra is that the couple never talk about football.

The former coach, 77, admits that while he and son , 51, are obsessed with the beautiful game, Sandra prefers not to get involved. He said: “She’s never been into football, she doesn’t go to football. She didn’t even go to watch me play and it’s been a great thing that she never got involved. I’d hate to have had her come home and have her saying, ‘What did you do today? Why didn’t you do that?’ or whatever. I couldn’t have stood that.”

Ex-England and player Jamie added: “She understood the game to a certain extent but didn’t get too heavily involved in what I should do or what I shouldn’t do. She just said, ‘How did you play?’ And if I said I did well after a game she was just happy. She was just an incredible mum, really. I don’t think we needed any more strong football voices in the household.”

Harry added: “When we’re talking about football, she’s gone off to watch and . She’s always been happy to let us do the talking about football.”

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legend Harry and Sky Sports pundit Jamie have teamed up to tell their story in a new book, called A Family Obsession: What We Talk About When We Talk About . And both were keen to air their views on the appointment of German Thomas Tuchel as the new England boss.

Harry went on: “I’d have liked to have seen an English manager but who was there? There were really no candidates so that was the problem. Who do you give the job to?”

Jamie added: “Thomas understands our league, he understands how the country works in terms of our football. He’s done a great job at , won the . I’ve met him. I liked him. I didn’t enjoy the summer watching us in the Euros. I know we got to the final but it was very boring. I’m hoping Thomas can free us up, make us play a little bit more exciting. I don’t care where he comes from, he just needs to win.”

The pair also chatted about Paul Gascoigne, with Jamie recounting how he and his teammates once shaved Gazza’s eyebrows. He said: “We shaved his eyebrows off so he got the hump. I’m not going to say that but let’s just say the Scousers – McManaman, Fowler – and myself. It would be unfair of me to take all the credit. If you look at pictures of Euro 96, Gazza’s got no eyebrows.”

• A Family Obsession: What We Talk About When We Talk About Football by Harry and Jamie Redknapp is out now

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