Parlour will have to pay over a third of his future income to his ex-wife

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday awarded Karen Parlour, 35, personal maintenance amounting to over a third of the footballer's future income.

She told the Sun: "All I care about is securing my children's future. I wasn't the one who wrecked their lives."

The �250,000 a year maintenance will go up to �406,500 and be reviewed in 2008.

The former optician's assistant, who was with Parlour for seven years, now lives with their three children in Hornchurch, Essex.

In her interview with the Sun Ms Parlour said: "I don't see why they should suffer because Ray chose to leave and started a relationship with another woman.

I don't want us to be at his mercy for the rest of our lives Karen Parlour

"I don't want us to be at his mercy for the rest of our lives."

Ms Parlour's lawyer had argued she rescued his career and was entitled to more of his �1.2m-a-year income.

She had claimed the earning capacity Parlour had built up was a "matrimonial resource".

The judgement recognised the 31-year-old footballer's income would "plummet" in his mid-30s and his ex-wife would need to save an estimated �294,000 a year from her initial maintenance.

'Laddish' culture

Lord Justice Thorpe said it was wrong in principle for the earner to control the accumulated wealth but the other party must invest the award sensibly.

Ms Parlour also receives the �12,500 sum Mr Parlour pays annually for each of the children, aged eight, six and four.

MS PARLOUR'S SETTLEMENT Two mortgage-free houses worth more than �1m �250,000 lump sum �444,000 a year

In January, High Court Family Division judge Mr Justice Bennett increased Mrs Parlour's annual maintenance to �250,000 from her ex-husband's initial offer of �120,000.

He ruled that the offer had not reflected the major part she had played in persuading Parlour to "grow up" and drop the hard-drinking "laddish" culture that existed among certain Arsenal players.

Ray Parlour's team had countered with the argument that it was not Mrs Parlour who "performs the labour", or who "submits to Arsene Wenger's regime of behaviour and abstinence."