John Terry has revealed how a recent phone call with former manager Jose Mourinho left his wife Toni completely stunned.
Chelsea legend Terry, 43, enjoyed some of the best years of his career playing under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.
Terry captained Chelsea to three Premier League titles across Mourinho's two spells as manager in west London and formed a strong relationship with the Portuguese during their time together.
Speaking on the Up Front With Simon Jordan podcast, Terry spoke of his admiration for Mourinho while admitting he still gets nervous speaking to his former manager.
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When asked to explain why he said he was "petrified" of Mourinho during his playing career, Terry said: "Let me explain. Mourinho face-timed me the other night.
"The phone starts ringing and I'm there, fluffing up the pillows. And my wife said to me 'What are you doing?'
"And I said to her 'The gaffer is calling me!', and I'm s***ing myself. Still to this day, he makes me so nervous.
"I would have done absolutely everything for this man. I have so much respect for him, what he did for me individually and for us as a team.
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"I absolutely adore him."
Mourinho is currently without a role, having been sacked by Roma in January following a disappointing first half of the 2023/24 campaign.
That followed underwhelming spells in charge of Manchester United and Tottenham, with the Portuguese reportedly falling out with his players at both clubs.
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Terry has defended Mourinho's record since leaving Chelsea in 2015 and in particular his time at Old Trafford, when he won the Europa League and the League Cup.
"I would look at his time at Manchester United as being a successful one, compared to where they've been," added Terry.
"When you see the press conferences of him talking about how he won three Premier Leagues and all the other managers won two, I think he's spot on with what he said.
"Was he harsh on some of the United players at the time? Did they deserve it? They clearly did otherwise he wouldn't say it."
Rory O'Callaghan