Former Celtic hero reveals shock wedding plans 20 years after getting engaged

FORMER Celtic star Kris Commons says being a good dad means more to him than any of his football trophies.

The ex-Scotland international surprised fans when he walked away from the sport in 2017.

Despite most assuming he would play another couple of years, he prioritised his health and his family.

Kris, 39, is dad to April, 13, William, 11, and Jax, ten, and also lost daughter Lola who was stillborn in 2008.

The midfielder, engaged to his partner of more than 20 years, Lisa Hague, now has all the time in the world for his brood ahead of Father’s Day.

Kris, who lives in Nottingham, says: “Living in Glasgow for the best part of a decade, I was away from family.

“Coming down here I took a step back and I’ve been enjoying the weekends watching my boys play football.

“It’s one thing as a professional footballer getting the glitz and glamour, but you don’t get the family time or going away on holidays together.

“They don’t stay young forever. The two boys play football on Sunday and April does horse racing.

“They’re at a perfect age now where they enjoy the travelling and participating.”

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Kris adds: “The big light-bulb moment was when I had my back operation.

“I thought I could push through and get a year or two more out of football but I didn’t want to be crippled.

“Fans see footballers as superstars but there’s other sides. Now I’m in my garden trying to grow my own veggies and taking the kids to football.

“It’s not the life of David Beckham but I’m very happy.”

As well as Father’s Day, Kris is also excited for another big day later in the summer — as he and Lisa are finally getting hitched more than 20 years after he popped the question.

The teenage sweethearts want to keep the event low-key and instead chose to spend most of their budget on their charity Grieve and Grow.

The couple were left devastated when Lola was stillborn and made it their mission to help other heartbroken parents.

Now they put on retreats so that anyone who has suffered and struggles with loss can spend a weekend creating
special memories.

Kris says: “We’ve been engaged so long that you’d expect all the bells and whistles. But Lisa is a real role model and instead of blowing money on cars and everything, she wants to invest the money in Grieve and Grow and put on retreats for people who have lost family members.

“She knows that side of it and had a hell of a lot of counselling. She wants to put all her eggs in one basket and have a small traditional wedding instead.

“The retreats have been really good and you feel a lot of strength from it. We’re supporting people in a really bad place.

“I can speak from my point of view that I bottled it up. I felt I was in male-dominated sport and I had to look strong and like the head of the family.

“For many years I had to stomach it and when it was the birthday or anniversary, there were a couple of days of the year where you were reminded of it.

“Doing these retreats has opened up a different perspective for me.

“Whether your emotions are sad or good, it’s important to talk about them and get a sense of relief.

“It’s rewarding and something that’s not really spoken about too often. If we can make people aware then it’s great.”

Though Lola may not be with them in person, Kris still feels her presence all the time.

Lisa will draw a little angel on his Father’s Day card and the whole family make sure her birthday is a time of celebration.

He can’t wait to get married and feels lucky that his kids will get to be such a big part of it.

Kris says: “We were engaged after three months and with having young kids, it never felt right.

“Now they’re a little bit older, they’re going to play a part.”

But not everybody is happy the couple have opted for minimal fuss on their big day.

He jokes: “The kids asked if there would be a bouncy castle and we said no.

“They said, ‘That sounds like the worst wedding ever.’

“I just hope my eldest daughter doesn’t have a bigger dress than Lisa does.”