Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard has hit back at a radio DJ who labelled him ''scum'' on a live broadcast, after accusations that he was a bad father following his bitter split from fiancée Elen Rives.

Empics
Frank Lampard hit out in the live broadcast.
• Listen to Lampard's outburst here...
The England and Chelsea midfielder called the phone-in show in a 15-minute rant to blast LBC presenter James O'Brien, after the DJ said that men who allow their children to live in inferior circumstances to them were "weak and scum".
His sister had been listening to the show and was angered by negative comments callers made about the footballer, which spurred the England star to phone in.
In an emotional and angry exchange, Lampard said: "Since I've had kids every penny I earn and every yard I run on the football pitch is for my kids. It hurts me every day when I wake up and my kids are not there."
The 30-year-old called the presenter an "idiot" for upsetting his family on the first anniversary of his mother's death and accused Rives of "having had a few drinks" when she made the remarks in a national newspaper.
He said: "Someone approached her in a bar and got her talking after she had a few drinks. My ex-girlfriend is very distressed about the story. She gave it away in a moment of weakness."
Miss Rives said that their daughters Luna, three, and Isla, one, were living in a small flat while Lampard had stayed in their £8.5m townhouse.
But Lampard said: "They are living in a temporary flat which is actually in Fulham. It's not a bad flat at all. I am buying a house at the moment which is going to be of equal standard to mine if not better.
"It hurts me every day when I wake up and my kids are not there. Luckily I have a relationship with my ex-girlfriend where we will share custody or whatever you want to call it. For three nights a week - and I'm away two or three nights for my football - the kids wake up in my house. I look after them solely."
Lampard became emotional when O'Brien said that he also had daughters and would fight "tooth and nail" to keep his family together.
He said: "What do you think I have been doing for the last two years? Let me tell you something now, right, my mother died a year ago today and that has had a huge impact on my life and my family's life and on my sister's life and unfortunately that has had a huge impact on my relationship at home. I find it insulting that you insinuate I wouldn't fight tooth and nail for my kids. You don't know anything about me.
"The hardest part of this break-up is not waking up with my kids every day. So before you start insinuating and calling people weak and scum on a radio station, sitting on a high horse which you are.. I hope one day that your wife or your girlfriend doesn't come up to you and say, I don't want to be with you any more. That will hurt you as well."
He then went on to tell O'Brien that he had no right to discuss his personal life.
He said: "I have to wake up and listen to idiots like you say, I read this' and this is what he's doing' and it's wrong. I put up with it and keep my mouth shut. The only reason I rang you is because my sister is distressed and as I said, it's the anniversary of my mum's death.
"Do you think my sister needs to hear idiots like you saying that on the radio station?"
O'Brien apologised for bringing up the issue on the anniversary of Lampard's mother's death, but added: "You will understand that I am not likely to have an anniversary like that in my desktop diary.
"You cannot expect verbatim first-hand quotes from the mother of your children to go unremarked by the general public."
The conversation then ended like this:
Frank: Listen I've spoken much too much about my private life today already - I didn't expect to have a phone call with you this morning. So I'll leave it there thank you.
James: So you won't give us a quick rundown on your thoughts for the champions league semi-final then.
Frank: No, I certainly won't.