A housewife, not a wag

The wife of new England manager Steve McClaren pledged that she will not follow in the stiletto-heeled footsteps of Nancy Dell'Olio, defiantly declaring: "I'll never be a WAG."

Kathryn McClaren said there were no comparisons between her and headline-grabbing "Wives and Girlfriends" such as Sven-Goran Eriksson's flamboyant partner Nancy, Victoria Beckham and Coleen McLoughlin.

The 41-year-old mother of three has even refused to move from Yorkshire to London for her husband's new job.

Speaking about her new role for the first time, she said: "I am obviously delighted for Steve, but it doesn't change anything for me. I'm a mother and a housewife, not a WAG.

"I honestly wouldn't behave like any of them. I like shopping, like any other woman, but I have no intention to go around splashing out thousands on designer clothes, or changing my outfits for the photographers."

She conceded Ms Dell'Olio was a "hard act to follow". Referring to the time Ms Dell'Olio wore a skin-tight red catsuit to accompany Eriksson to a meeting with the Prime Minister in 2002, she joked: "She has an advantage, she is Italian. Perhaps I should wear a red suit if I go to No 10!"

However, comparisons can be drawn between the two - both have suffered the public humiliation of their partner's infidelities.

McClaren, 45, admitted to a three-month affair with his married secretary, Karen Nelson, during a trial separation from his wife. And Eriksson cheated on Ms Dell'Olio, first with Ulrika Jonsson, then with FA secretary Faria Alam.

In July, The Mail on Sunday told how the WAGs' endless shopping, bitter spats and drunken behaviour at the World Cup prompted McClaren to question their behaviour. FA sources said the nightly bulletins about their partying were seen as a major distraction for the footballers.