Top Liverpool soccer player's wife Alex Curran has spoken out in a bid to quell the fury after she described the nightlife of her home city as 'rough.'
Blonde Alex, 26, who was once a permanent fixture on the club scene says she no longer goes out in Liverpool because the new night spots 'attract the wrong type of people'.
And the mother-of-two confessed since she became a well known WAG her nights out 'Aren't the same any more.'
In the NEW! magazine interview Steven Gerrard's wife Alex said: "It's not the same any more. To be honest, it's rough.
"Everywhere new that opens attracts the wrong type of people.
"It's not nice, so I haven't bothered to go out."
But the Alex's comments drew the anger of other Scousers with councillors and an MP challenging her opinion.
After the furore made national and international headlines "NEW!" issued a statement to "set the record straight on Alex’s behalf ".
It said they were "sorry that the quote has been interpreted in this way and "We fully accept our article could have given the wrong impression."
The statement from NEW! said: "Alex regularly tells New! magazine how much she loves living in Liverpool.
"As far as we’re concerned she’s the city’s number one fan and often tells us how she wants to always live in Liverpool."
The statement added Alex says: "I absolutely love living in Liverpool. I love the people, they are so generous and friendly, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world.
"I have lived here all my life and I am proud to raise our two daughters here. They receive a fantastic education, and as the city of culture, there is so much to offer us as a family."
One of her critics, Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley was magnanimous in his response.
He said: "I wholeheartedly agree with Alex that Liverpool is a fantastic place to live and a great place to raise a family.
"In fact, I’d be more than happy to take her for a night out and to show her just how friendly and welcoming the city is.
"We’ve just had our amazingly successful Capital of Culture year, and not only is Liverpool a really vibrant place, we are one of the safest cities in the UK - with crime at an all time low.
"Over a billion pounds has been spent on making it one of the top four UK city destinations, attracting tens of thousands of people every weekend."
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