Heather Swan has spoken for the first time since Sunderland striker Michael checked into rehab in the wake of a furious row with her, during which police were called.

At the time, the pair stated their marriage was over but Heather now insists they are working things out.

She said: "We're a strong couple and we're just going through a bit of a difficult patch."

Chopra hit a double on his comeback against Middlesbrough yesterday and Heather told Wedding TV: "Hopefully everything will work itself out and we're just going through a bit of a bad spell.

"Many people don't realise how much time footballers spend away from home. You are raising a child a lot of the time yourself because they are travelling away quite a lot.

"They need to come and live with us for a bit to see what it's like.

'We're strong and we've been through eight years together so I'm sure we can go a little further."