George Best’s first wife Angie opens up about cancer battle

She married the Northern Ireland football legend in the 1970s.

The woman married the Northern Ireland football legend in the 1970s, and they had one son together, Calum, in 1981 before their divorce in 1986.

George passed away in 2005 due to complications related to alcoholism.

At the beginning of the month, Calum revealed that his mother had been diagnosed with colon cancer, which had since spread to her liver, and set up a GoFundMe page in support of Angie and her family.

In an Instagram video, he said: "A few weeks ago, my beautiful, wonderful mum was diagnosed with cancer. For as long as I can remember, she has lived her life rooted in health, fitness and wellbeing. She has always believed in taking care of the body, mind and soul. But as we all know, cancer doesn’t discriminate.

"It doesn’t care where you’re from, how you live, or how healthy you try to be. And now, it’s here – and it’s with my mum."

Angie has since provided friends and fans with a heartbreaking update from her hospital bed in Switzerland, saying that she is beginning her second round of chemotherapy in the next few days.

"Advice needed: I know a lot of you have been through this, but I can’t function," she admitted in a video earlier this week.

"I can’t lift my head up, I can’t brush my teeth, I can’t eat. It’s terrible."

In the caption, she added: "Apparently feeling like this is normal.

"Nothing normal about it ffs. If you’re suffering right now, we’re here for each other."

In an additional video Angie was more upbeat speaking about how she was asked to gain weight, saying it was tough to find Jelly Babies in Switzerland, and the only ice cream she could find there was Cornetto.

"So I’m back at my favourite place with my favourite nurse, isn’t she just a darling. And she speaks English but she’s Swiss.

"I’ve got to gain weight so they’ve got me drinking these awful things [weight gaining shakes]. I can’t find a jelly baby bloody anywhere, and the only ice cream they have in Switzerland is a Cornetto, for heaven’s sake," she continued.

Their son has since admitted that he was struggling financially to keep up with medical payments, with the GoFundMe having currently raised over £38,000 (€43,000).

Angie met George at a dinner party in LA when George was signing to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs, before the pair moved to London in 1976.

Reasons for their 1986 divorce were cited as George’s alcoholism and domestic violence.

In her 2022 autobiography, Angie said that despite their turbulent relationship, she said she and what she said the football 'is the only man I ever loved.’