John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy.

Terry was axed during a 12-minute meeting with Fabio Capello at Wembley today

There had been relief for Terry earlier in the day when lover Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-partner of Wayne Bridge, decided not to sell her story to a Sunday tabloid amid gossip that she had reached a financial arrangement with Terry.

But that proved only temporary respite as Capello delivered his decision.

Perroncel said she was sorry at hearing Terry had lost his position. In a statement read on her behalf by publicist Max Clifford, she said: "In recent days I have been the centre of a great deal of press speculation and comment.

"I would like to put on record my thanks to Max Clifford for his advice and help at this difficult time.

"The details of my friendship with John and his family have been the subject of intense and wholly unfair and untrue media speculation.

"As Max has already said, much of the material in the press is inaccurate.

"I now find myself subject to other unsubstantiated and false claims which have appeared in the papers over the past few days.

"This has only added to the pressure which my family and I have been under.

"The media has sought to pore over my private life and that of my family, which is very upsetting.

"I have decided I do not want to speak publicly about the speculation since it only seems to add more fuel to the fire.

"I have a three-year-old son and he is my main concern.

"I do not believe speaking to newspapers or the media is in