Wayne Bridge withdrew from the England national team because he could not bear to be in the same dressing room as love rival John Terry.
The move comes after newspaper allegations about a relationship between his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel and Terry, who was stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello in the wake of the headlines.
A close friend told The Sun: "Wayne spent most of Wednesday agonising over this. He was very unsure about what to do.
"On one hand, he sees playing for England as a great honour and always has done. On the other, he knew how hard he would find it to be in the same hotel as Terry never mind the same dressing room.
"He felt physically sick at the prospect of having to be around Terry and what might or might not happen.
"Quitting England has meant more heartbreak in an already stressful period in his life. And he was choking back tears when he made his position clear.
"He hated having to make this decision but he feels he had no choice."
The friend added: "Wayne's knee-jerk reaction was that he could never share a dressing room with Terry again. He hates him for what has happened.
"Playing for England is the pinnacle of Wayne's career but he knew as long as Terry was in the team he would never pull on the shirt again.
"I think Capello hoped time would be a healer and Wayne would be able to put it behind him. Unfortunately that has not been the case."
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The move comes after newspaper allegations about a relationship between his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel and Terry, who was stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello in the wake of the headlines.
A close friend told The Sun: "Wayne spent most of Wednesday agonising over this. He was very unsure about what to do.
"On one hand, he sees playing for England as a great honour and always has done. On the other, he knew how hard he would find it to be in the same hotel as Terry never mind the same dressing room.
"He felt physically sick at the prospect of having to be around Terry and what might or might not happen.
"Quitting England has meant more heartbreak in an already stressful period in his life. And he was choking back tears when he made his position clear.
"He hated having to make this decision but he feels he had no choice."
The friend added: "Wayne's knee-jerk reaction was that he could never share a dressing room with Terry again. He hates him for what has happened.
"Playing for England is the pinnacle of Wayne's career but he knew as long as Terry was in the team he would never pull on the shirt again.
"I think Capello hoped time would be a healer and Wayne would be able to put it behind him. Unfortunately that has not been the case."
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