Actor issues statement to say he’s been “set up,” incriminatory photos are deceiving

Oct 15, 2012 07:53 GMT  ·  By
Vinnie Jones and singer Lama Safonova, with whom he reportedly cheated on his wife of 18 years
   Vinnie Jones and singer Lama Safonova, with whom he reportedly cheated on his wife of 18 years

Vinnie Jones, best known to mainstream audiences as the bad guy in most Guy Ritchie and/or British films, has been caught cheating on his wife of 18 years, Tanya Terry, with a 25-year-old blonde singer, Lama Safonova.

The Daily Mail has photos of Vinnie and Lama kissing in the streets of Moscow, together with a report from the local media about the two partying together at the same club and then continuing the party in private, in his hotel room.

Admittedly, the football star turned actor, picked up Lama and then had a fling with her, but the tab doesn’t mention whether it lasted longer or was just a one-night stand.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Jones admits to his mistake but insists that nothing is as it seems – not even photos of him passionately kissing Lama on the mouth.

If anything, this whole “scandal” is a set-up, either by the media or by the young Russian singer herself, he seems to imply.

“I am humiliated, embarrassed and very sorry for this incident. It was a complete set-up, the whole thing,” Jones says.

“I totally love my wife Tanya and my two children. I am very sorry and my only concern right now is them,” the star adds.

The photo attached to this article is one that Lama herself posted online, presumably after meeting Vinnie. Right now, the Mail remarks, she seems to be enjoying her newfound fame while refusing to talk about the incident to which she owes it.

“Her boyfriend was the interpreter so it's just a joke. I've seen [the pictures] I know what they look like. I met her for 15 minutes, just went for a drink at the party and that was it,” Jones says of how he came to party with the stunning blonde.

“She was there and my interpreter introduced me to her as his girlfriend. His name was Oliver,” he adds.

As for the reason he and Lama shared the cab to his hotel, Jones says that here too is one big freaking coincidence.

“We got a lift back to the hotel because we were staying in the same hotel – that was the stitch-up. When we got to the hotel, the boyfriend was in the foyer,” he says, adding that the boyfriend simply “disappeared” from the club.

The Mail notes that Jones’ wife is “mortified” by what has transpired in the press and is even thinking of taking the kids and leaving Vinnie.

*[Update, October 15, 2012, later]: Below is a video of Vinnie kissing the Russian singer. Does it look like a set up to you? Let us know in the comments section below.