Mario Balotelli, the former Manchester City striker, publicly admitted to twice having sex with prostitute Jenny Thompson, who was infamously linked to a threesome with Wayne Rooney. The confession came in April 2012, a month before Balotelli lifted the Premier League title with City, and a month after he was seen leaving a Liverpool strip club.
Refusing Hush Money
Balotelli, then 21, chose to come clean about the affair with Thompson at his £3 million Cheshire mansion rather than pay "hush money." His lawyer at the time, Vittorio Rigo, revealed that a woman had offered a "financial alternative" to keep details of the romp secret, a deal Balotelli rejected.
His agent, Mino Raiola, issued a statement confirming the brief involvement with Thompson, saying: "Mario prefers to admit what has happened, has refused any means on offer to try to keep the matter silent and will deal with any consequences his actions bring in the way of public attention."
The Affair Details
Thompson told friends she met Balotelli at his younger brother Enoch's birthday party at a Manchester nightclub and later went back to his home. She recounted: "When we were in his house and Mario asked me if I wanted to go to the bedroom. He didn't waste much time. Before I knew it we were in his bed and having sex."
A friend of Thompson claimed the pair first met at Zouk bar in late February 2012 and had a second intimate encounter about a week later, when Balotelli took her home in his white Bentley. The friend said Thompson had no idea Balotelli had a girlfriend at the time.
Thompson's Notorious Past
Thompson first made headlines in 2010 for allegedly having a threesome with Wayne Rooney while his wife Coleen was pregnant. She claimed Rooney paid her £1,200 per session at the Lowry Hotel and described the encounters as "boring." Balotelli was said to have taunted her about Rooney at a restaurant, shouting "Rooney, Rooney" across the room.
After Balotelli's confession, his girlfriend Raffaella Fico initially stood by him but later split and revealed she was pregnant. Balotelli initially disputed paternity but accepted after a DNA test in 2014. A month after the affair became public, Balotelli set up Sergio Aguero's title-winning goal for City.
Thompson later appeared on ITV Daybreak, apologizing to Coleen Rooney, and said she regretted the kiss-and-tell, having blown the £80,000 she received on "nothing of importance."
