A Premier League legend allegedly masqueraded as a milkman when he sparked up an affair with a stunning blonde air stewardess
A Premier League legend allegedly had a three-year affair with an air hostess after pretending he was a milkman.
Sylvain Distin, who turns 48 today (Tuesday, December 16), made more than 450 appearances in England’s top flight – the most of any foreign outfield player. After joining Newcastle United in 2001 on loan from French giants Paris Saint-Germain, he switched to Manchester City for a club record fee for a defender of £4m, where the Citizens’ 2002–03 player of the year later became captain.
A move to Portsmouth followed, where he won the FA Cup in 2008 as part of Harry Redknapp’s famous side, before six years as the rock at the heart of Everton’s defence. Curiously, he never played for France after failing to receive a single call-up. But during his time at Goodison Park he became embroiled in a scandal even more astonishing than his lack of international recognition.
That’s because for three years the Frenchman – who was in a long term relationship and had a child – allegedly had a secret fling with a gorgeous flight attendant, after telling her he was a milkman, rather than one of the Premier League’s top defenders.
Distin reportedly later claimed he was a professional tennis player and also a cyclist in a bid to cover his tracks. But his alleged lies were said to have come crashing down when air hostess Katie Hulne saw a picture of the then £45,000-a-week ace in his Everton kit – prompting him to supposedly say it was a photo of his twin.
It was reported in 2013 that when his alleged lover finally found out who Distin really was and that he had a partner, the centre back claimed he was only in the relationship for the sake of his daughter.
A friend of the shocked blonde bombshell told a national newspaper at the time: “We told Katie she was being naive. She was devastated. He was quite filthy which really surprised Katie but turned her on. Maybe now she’ll realise he was acting like so many other footballers – having his cake and eating it.”
Distin was said to have wooed the air stewardess, who was four years his senior, with a string of raunchy texts. It was claimed he also sent her naked selfies.
It was reported they had sex in cars and up against a tree in woods and that to celebrate her birthday, he once serenaded her with a rendition of “Happy Birthday Big T***” in French.
The newspaper claimed that Katie first met Distin on a night out near his lavish home in Hale, Cheshire in December 2009, after chatting to then Everton team-mates including striker James Beattie and goalkeeper Tim Howard. But it was said to be the 6ft 4in Frenchman who caught her eye.
Extraordinarily, he was alleged to have told her he was a milkman when they swapped phone numbers, before texting each other repeatedly. When she became suspicious, Distin is said to have posed as a tennis pro and a cyclist in order to keep his identity secret.
The smitten blonde’s friend claimed: “Katie had no idea who he was. He had such a good body that she thought he must do a lot of sport but she was a bit confused. She fancied the pants off him but it was just daft flirting to begin with.”
It was reported that a hotel rendezvous followed, but they didn’t get intimately acquainted. However, Distin then purportedly would text asking for saucy snaps and confessing that he was “horny” for her, ahead of another meet-up in a hotel for a night of passion.
The friend said: “Katie was really nervous and had dressed up specially. He made the first move to kiss her. Her legs turned to jelly and they were at it like rabbits.”
Distin was allegedly rumbled when they chatted on BlackBerry Messenger and Katie spotted his profile picture showed him in full Everton kit, but he said it was his “twin brother”.
Her friend said: “Katie is really sweet and trusted him. She said the sex was amazing and that he was incredibly ‘gifted’. He called her sexy and couldn’t get enough of her bum.”
Even after learning the truth about his playing career, they were said to have continued meeting once or twice a month and to exchange explicit texts, unless Distin was on holiday with his family.
And Distin was claimed to have posed naked or shirtless from away-game hotels to show off his impressive physique, which had team-mates nickname him “Cyborg”.
The newspaper claimed in May 2012 he texted from Birmingham asking for pictures and saying he “couldn’t wait” and in September that year, after Everton lost a League Cup game at Leeds despite him scoring, he rushed straight to see her, still in his kit.
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Katie’s friend said: “They would often meet for sex in either his car or hers. Sylvain would be careful – he has a distinctive Bentley so he never used that. He liked it rough and they even did it in woods near his home and up against a tree.”
Katie was said to have hoped he’d leave his partner based on Distin’s claims about his relationship, but realising it would never amount to anything else, ended the affair, before it made national headlines.
On one visit back to his former club City, home supporters taunted the Frenchman with comical chants referring to his supposed time as a milkman, singing: “He’s up at half four, he’s up at half four, oh Sylvain Distin, he’s up at half four.”
Meanwhile, a pre-season outing for Everton against Accrington in the summer of 2013 is said to have been marked by chants of: “Distin is a milkman.”