Jess Impiazzi has opened up about how her relationship with boyfriend Jermaine Pennant has been strengthened by their shared trauma.
The actress and ex-reality star, 33, opened up about how the 40-year-old former footballer’s difficult past, alongside her own tough childhood, has brought them closer.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: “When two people have been through something traumatic, it can be toxic or it can be healing. Luckily we were the healing thing for each other.’
In 2005, Jermaine was sentenced to three months in prison for drunk driving, while he was disqualified after crashing his friend’s Mercedes into a lamppost.
After 30 days in prison he was released and his club Birmingham City stood by him. He was the first player to play in the Premier League with an electronic tag on his ankle.
Honest: Jess Impiazzi has spoken openly about how her relationship with boyfriend Jermaine Pennant has been strengthened by their shared trauma (pictured January 2023)
He has also admittedly squandered his fortune on shady investments, losing three houses and going bankrupt due to his money problems and forgetting he owned a £1.2million home in Cheshire.
Meanwhile, Jess opened up about her own past, saying: “A lot of bad things happened when I was growing up and I was really struggling with my mental health.
“I think that’s why me and Jermaine work so well together because he also had a really traumatic childhood and we can support each other. We understand why the other acts a certain way.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Jess recalled how the pair first developed a strong friendship before it blossomed into love.
They kept their relationship a secret for five months to avoid “outside pressure,” and Jess credits this time with helping the two get to know each other.
While the couple is focused on their careers for now, Jess said they plan to have children together someday and “couldn’t be happier.”
It comes after the Love Island star revealed how she encouraged Jermaine to get tested for ADHD as she realized “something was wrong”.
She claimed his recent diagnosis “changed his whole life” and that he’s now listening to her more instead of being “irrational or impulsive”.
Empowerment: The actress and ex-reality star, 33, shared how the 40-year-old former footballer’s difficult past, alongside their own tough childhood, has brought them closer
Speaking exclusively to Web at the Inspiration Awards For Women just a week after Jermaine’s announcement, she said: “He was actually diagnosed in July because I realized something was wrong with him.”
“Of course, with his past behavior… I was like, ‘Let’s just get checked out. Something is wrong here.”
Jess continued: “I have a family member who has it and things have struck me. “I was like, ‘Okay, let’s just go and talk to the therapist and the doctor.’
Friends for lovers: Elsewhere in the interview, Jess recalled how the pair initially developed a strong friendship before it blossomed into love (pictured in December 2022)
“Anyway, it changed his life when he got the diagnosis. He could concentrate, he found the reasons why he had done things in the past.
“Once you figure that out, you kind of quit because you don’t know what you don’t know, right? So now he’s concentrating.
“The moment he thinks about being irrational or impulsive, he can say, ‘Wait a minute, that’s my ADHD.’ He’s got his meds and he’ll listen to me more, I’ll say, ‘Jermaine, that there’s a little bit of your ADHD here, so let’s talk for now,” and he’s like, “OK, yeah, OK.”
Candid: Jermaine recently revealed he felt like a ‘maniac’ for making a series of destructive decisions before being diagnosed (pictured January 2023)
“But it changed his whole life. His work is going fantastic, his focus is much better and I let him play his F1 game when he needs some space.”
Jermaine recently revealed he felt like a “maniac” for making a series of destructive decisions prior to the diagnosis.
He appeared on Good Morning Britain on Friday to talk about his “life-changing” diagnosis and admitted it helped him understand his past choices.
While insisting he couldn’t “apologize” for his behavior, he shared his sadness at not being diagnosed until now because it would have made his relationships, work and life easier, noting that he is now “happier than ever”. ‘
ADHD is a behavioral disorder defined by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Of his diagnosis, Jermaine said: “It’s life changing because I’ve asked myself so many questions over the years. “Why do I leave destruction in my path?” Or “how did I get into certain situations?”
“I just thought it’s because I’m just crazy or I’m just not healthy and I have serious issues but don’t really realize what they are.
“I just went around in circles, made the same mistakes and said to myself, ‘I know I’m not a bad person, but why am I doing this?’
WHAT IS ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder defined by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
It affects about five percent of children in the US. About 3.6 percent of boys and 0.85 percent of girls suffer from it in the UK.
Symptoms typically appear at an early age and become more apparent as a child grows. This can also include:
- Constant fidgeting
- Bad concentration
- Excessive movement or talking
- Act without thinking
- Little or no sense of danger
- careless mistake
- forgetfulness
- Difficulty organizing tasks
- Inability to listen or carry out instructions
Most cases are diagnosed between the ages of six and 12. Adults can also suffer from it, but there is less research on this.
The exact cause of ADHD is unclear, but it is thought to be due to genetic mutations that affect a person’s brain function and structure.
Premature babies and those with epilepsy or brain damage are at greater risk.
ADHD is also linked to anxiety, depression, insomnia, Tourette’s disease and epilepsy.
There is no cure.
A combination of medication and therapy is usually recommended to relieve symptoms and make everyday life easier.
Source: NHS selection
He went on to explain that he believes his “troubled childhood” was responsible for the development of the disease.
Jermaine added, “When you start out, you develop ADHD in two ways. Either genetically from the family or as a child you develop it through trauma and your environment.
“I had a very troubled childhood, so my ADHD as a kid was a survival mode. I developed ADHD and it allowed me to survive.
“You can switch off when you get ADHD, or you can log on. My survival mode was to focus on football because that’s what I loved and that saved me.
Career setbacks: He shared his sadness at not being diagnosed until now because it would have made his relationships, work and life easier, noting that he is now “happier than ever” (pictured in 2011 for Stoke played).
“But as an adult, on the other hand, if you’re not diagnosed or aware of it, it becomes a negative and destructive.”
Reflecting on how different things could have been if he’d known sooner, Jermaine added, “Now I’ve been diagnosed with everything I’ve done in my career, which I understand, all the things I’ve been through have, the mistakes that I’ve made.
“I understand why I got into fights with managers and TV bosses wouldn’t come near me because I couldn’t be trusted, I was unreliable.
“But if people knew I had ADHD, they would understand because you take risks, are ignorant of dangers, have consequences for other people, and are forgetful. When things get stressful or you can’t cope, seek validation.’
Struggles: Jermaine went on to reveal that it almost cost him his relationship with Ex On The Beach star Jess, who he has been with for almost two years (pictured in November 2022)
Jermaine went on to reveal that it nearly cost him his relationship with Ex On The Beach star Jess, who he has been dating for almost two years.
“If I hadn’t been diagnosed, we would have broken up because it’s so difficult to live with,” he explained.
“I have to take melatonin at night because I can’t sleep. It’s like trying to manage eight screens, it’s a very busy, active brain.
Nottingham-born Jermaine burst onto the scene as a teenager and became a £2million signing aged just 15, making his debut for Arsenal as a 16-year-old.
He scored a hat-trick on his Premier League debut aged 20. He later admitted that he partied until 6am on the day of the game and won the game for his team hungover.
Despite his exceptional start, he only made five full starts for Arsenal in seven years and was loaned out to various clubs where his personal problems lingered.
Despite his time in prison, his football career continued with a big money move to Liverpool, earning him even more cash and even a Champions League winner’s medal before falling from grace.
After retiring from football, he made money from the last series of Celebrity Big Brother and media commitments including an occasion where he was accused of being drunk on Sky Sports News.
Past: Jermaine previously said his biggest regret was being jailed for three months for drunk driving in 2005 (pictured at Aylesbury Magistrates Court)