Bell, on the other hand, was the clean-living, all-American football star any father would welcome as his daughter's date. Or perhaps not. Court documents reveal that Nadine's new love has a history of violence - and was still married when they first began dating.
Irish-girl Nadine, 23, has literally been swept off her feet by hunky Bell, 30.
The star relaxes by the poolside with her boyfriend, former American footballer Jason Bell, in Miami last week
The gridiron muscleman lifted the lithe Irish beauty over a puddle on a stroll through Miami last week, kissed her by the pool as they frolicked on an inflatable bed under the Florida sun, wined and dined her at London's Nobu restaurant in October, and romanced her at a charity ball in London the following month.
But the court papers reveal that Nadine's new love has a troubled past. Bell has attacked two men in separate assaults, paying both to settle the ensuing lawsuit, it is alleged.
Court files also reveal that Bell finalised his divorce only on September 18, 2008 - weeks after he linked up with Nadine.
Nadine has been gushing over her new love, reportedly saying just last week: 'He plays American football. He played in the Super Bowl, and he is so smart. Not showbiz at all.'
Happy together: Nadine and Jason enjoy a swim last week
But a spokesman for Bell's own sports agent last night confessed: 'He has been retired for the past year.'
And the National Football League Players' Association confirmed: 'He's listed as retired.'
Bell, in a signed declaration to the Orange County Superior Court on January 29, 2008, claimed: 'My position with the New York Giants has been terminated. I am now an unemployed professional football player who suffers from a back injury.
'I do not believe I will be able to return to professional football, nor do I believe any team would be willing to employ me...'
Yet Bell never played in the Super Bowl. When the New York Giants won the American football championship in February 2008, Bell had already been cut from the team, according to court documents he filed five days before the Super Bowl game.
He had not played a single game that winning season.
The 6ft, 13-stone athlete's violent past is alleged in a court document filed in the Orange County Superior Court by his estranged wife, Kimberly Bell, 31, in their divorce case.
'He was involved in two fights which resulted in lawsuits being filed,' Kimberly claims.
'One was with a fellow teammate who later retained an attorney. As a result, a settlement of $75,000 plus attorney fees was reached between him and the gentleman he assaulted.
'In another incident, he assaulted a gentleman at a bar. This incident also resulted in a lawsuit being filed and a settlement being paid out.'
The court papers show the sheer depth of animosity in the divorce proceedings. Bell wed primary school teacher Kimberly in 2003 but the marriage was soon in trouble.
They separated and filed for divorce on April 21, 2005, but reconciled before breaking up again in April 2007.
Nadine and Jason enjoy an evening stroll, but when they started dating the football player was still married
In her second divorce petition, Kimberly claims: 'In April 2007, at Bell's request, I quit my full-time job as a school teacher... so that I could relocate with him to New York where he is currently playing for the New York Giants.
'This was due to the fact that during the time we were together, he would often fly back and forth between New York and California.
'After quitting my job, I learned a week later that he decided to leave without me to live permanently in New York, and has retained an attorney to initiate divorce proceedings.'
Bell's decision to file for divorce 'came as a complete shock' to Kimberly, says her lawyer, Nigel Burns, in a court document filed in May 2007. 'She quit her job at his urging.'
Abandoned by her husband, Kimberly Bell struggled to pay household bills on her $3,577-a-month teacher's salary, while Bell earned a staggering $595,000 a year playing for the Giants, court papers reveal.
'Although (Bell) currently grosses $595,000 per year, he only pays me $5,000 per month in spousal support,' Kimberly complained in one legal document.
'Out of this amount I have to pay the mortgage on the home we purchased together, which is approximately $3,200 per month.'
Although Bell was part of the Giants' 80-man roster, he was never considered one of its stars.
Signed in 2006, Bell missed all of the 2007 season sidelined by a degenerating spinal disc, and in 2008 he was quietly let go - and not picked up by any other team.
Bell recently confessed that he might move to join Nadine in Los Angeles, explaining: 'I can live anywhere as I've started my own finance company.'
Bell lifted Nadine over a puddle as she clung on to her high heels in Miami
But efforts to find Bell's financial company have so far proven fruitless.
In any case, Bell is hardly qualified to run such a company. He majored in history while at the University of California, Los Angeles, and court papers reveal his only business training to be a financial planning seminar taken at the Harvard Business School.
Nadine met Bell in Los Angeles last summer and in early September --before his divorce became final - he travelled to London to visit her.
They have united several times since then, most recently holidaying together in Florida. But Nadine might want to be careful how she handles the burly athlete, who spent much of his career on the sidelines struggling to overcome a succession of injuries.
He played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2001, suffering injuries including a broken wrist, and a broken arm. After two years, he was traded to the nearby Houston Texans, where he became known for his injuries and his aggression on the field.
Does she know his past? Nadine Coyle and Jason Bell arriving at the Sanderson Hotel in London in October last year
'Pound for pound, there aren't many players more fearless and reckless than Jason Bell, a reserve cornerback who excels on special teams,' wrote the Houston Chronicle in 2005. 'He's never started a game but the only way he'll miss one is if he's injured.'
Unfortunately, the Chronicle's assessment proved prophetic, at least as far as injuries went. Bell was let go by the Texans in 2006 and picked up by the Giants, where he played for only a year before being sidelined by injuries.
He fractured his right forearm and suffered a severe concussion, the effects of which kept him out of the game for two weeks.
While Bell's income now is unclear, the papers claim the two-year contract he signed in 2006 with the Giants was for $595,000 a year and that he received a signing bonus of $400,000.
Bell 'and his business partner' bought three Californian properties, in Placentia, Huntington Beach and Corona Del Mar, they say.
Despite Kimberly's accusations, Bell insists he did not trick his wife into quitting her teaching job only to move to New York and dump her.
'I absolutely deny that I ever asked Kimberly to quit her full-time employment or to even move to New York to be with me,' he claims in a declaration to the court filed in January 2008. He claims that his ex 'is simply attempting to convince this court that I should pay more support than what she requires because she intentionally minimised her employment income over a short period of time in hopes of reconciling our marriage.'
Irish charm: Nadine has been dating Bell for three months
Claiming he had been paying Kimberly-an average of $8,000 a month in support, Bell moved in with his former childhood friend and fellow athlete, Sharrief Metoyer, in Buena Park, California.
Metoyer, 34, says: 'I'm like an older brother to him, and he's been a loyal friend to me.
'He's a very easy-going person, very giving of his time and his money. If you need something, he'll do it, from picking you up at the airport to helping you out financially in a time of need.'
Bell was born and raised in Long Beach, California, about 12 miles south of Los Angeles, the son of Cortland and Geraldine Bell. He has a brother, Cortland Jr, and sister Melissa.
Growing up in Long Beach, Metoyer says Bell had to avoid the street gangs who menaced the urban ghettos and resist the temptations offered by the upscale oceanside communities.
'He grew up in a middle-class family but was a rock's throw from the inner city and the more affluent areas,' says Metoyer. 'He grew up having to move between the two worlds.
'Our families grew up together. I've known him 15 years. He was always very focused and followed his passion.'
Metoyer, now a basketball coach at Long Beach Poly High School, declined to discuss Bell's shattered marriage or his romance with Nadine, saying: 'You'll have to ask him.'
Nadine is currently based in Los Angeles, where her family is opening a chain of Irish pubs, and Bell may return to be with her and closer to his family.
'He's very close to his family,' says Metoyer. 'He's an all-round good guy.'
This week, Bell's sister, Melissa, said from her home in Long Beach, California: 'I'm positive he doesn't want to talk about his divorce. He's not making any comment.' Kimberly Bell's mother, Linda Sneed, said from her home in Long Beach: 'She doesn't want to be any part of the publicity. She has no comment to make.'
Strangely, after numerous requests for a comment were turned down by Bell's solicitor, family members and former agent, a reply arrived by email - from Nadine's English spokesman.
'Regarding claims made by Kimberly in divorce proceedings,' said Coyle spokesman Sundraj Sreenivasan, 'Jason has no comment to make and does not wish to talk about his relationship with Nadine.'
No comments:
Post a Comment