JULIE Killelea was always quiet, shy and loved nothing more than being at home. She didn't go to university, even though she was more than capable of doing so, because she didn't want to move away from home. But on Valentine's Day 1999 her life was about to change forever because that was the day she said "yes" when the man she loved asked her to marry him. But Julie wasn't just about to walk down the aisle with her soul mate. She was going to say "I do" to one of football's best young talents -- Manchester United and England star Philip Neville. In an exclusive interview with her sister AMANDA, a Lancashire Evening Telegraph reporter, Julie talks about the pressures of her life and her determination to remain unaffected by the hype and hysteria.

FOOTBALLERS today are no longer the working class heroes they were in the days of the late Sir Stanley Matthews.

In the 21st century footballers are superstars who grace the front pages of the tabloids almost as much as they appear in the sports sections.

And they are seen as A-list celebrities, rubbing shoulders with pop and movie stars -- and the press and the public all want a piece of them, drinking in every little piece of information about their everyday lives.

Many people think being a footballer's wife is glamorous with a capital G and think Julie has got it made.

But how many brides have to deal with bomb threats on their wedding day and their new husband jetting off to the other side of the world just two days after they are married? When Julie, 24, and Philip, 23, first met she had no idea at all about the pressures faced by famous people.

She, like most people, thought that the success of those in the public eye brought them glamourous lifestyles and the trappings of fame. But she was soon to see the downsides.

Julie's parents had been friends with Philip's parents for years, but it wasn't until a mutual friend's 21st birthday party that Julie and Philip hit it off.

She said: "The first thing that struck me about him was his sense of humour, I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so much.

"I found out later that after that party Philip had rung his friend, Hibernian footballer Grant Brebner, and told him that he had met the girl he was going to marry. Three years later we were stood at the altar with Grant at our side as best man.

"At first I wasn't apprehensive about the Press at all as I never realised how interested or intrusive they could be. I suppose I was just naive."

Julie and Philip married in a blaze of publicity at St James the Less Church, Rawtenstall, the day before Millennium Eve.

They came in for a lot of criticism about the amount of security they had for their wedding and were accused of denying fans the chance to get a glimpse of the Manchester United stars who were wedding guests. But little did these critics know that there were far more serious undertones to the massive security operation that was mounted in the run up to the wedding.

Julie said: "In the weeks before the wedding we had several threats and bomb scares. There were undercover police and security monitoring the situation all the time and we had to be much more security conscious.

"We had to take security with us wherever we went. On the day of the wedding there were security guards at the church and at my parents' house -- we even had to have security in our bridal car. But although it was hard to deal with nothing spoiled our day - it was the best day of our lives."

But despite all that Julie and Philip are just like any other couple of newlyweds -- with their feet firmly on the ground.

Julie has lived in Rossendale all her life and shunned a move to South Manchester or Cheshire, where most of the other Manchester United players live, in favour of a home in Crawshawbooth, walking distance from her job at our dad's steel firm.

And forget showbiz nights out -- Julie and Philip like nothing more than cooking a nice meal at their home or spending time with family.

For meals out they look no further than Rawtenstall -- Nino's Italian restaurant for dinner and for lunch they are regulars at Smith's Deli on Bank Street.

But Julie is the first to admit that there are times when Philip's fame does annoy her. She said: "Philip gets asked for his autograph wherever we go and he is very good about it. I have never heard him refuse yet even when the situation would have justified it.

"He is well aware that it is largely the fans who are responsible for United being the club it is today and he is proud of that.

"But there are the odd occasions when we would love a quiet night out in peace. You expect attention when you go out in public but I think our home should be private.

"We are going through a stage at the moment where people are constantly ringing our doorbell, day and night. We can't believe how much interest us living here as caused.

"A couple of weeks ago on a Saturday night our bell rang at 2am. We panicked and Philip jumped up and answered the intercom. Some lads, who had obviously had a few drinks, were shouting abuse about Manchester United down the phone."

And people's perceptions of Julie and Philip are often far from the truth.

Julie said: "Sometimes we can't believe the rumours we hear about ourselves. The other day somebody told me that they'd heard we wanted the vicar who is our next door neighbour to move out so we could buy his house, knock it down and build a full-size football pitch in our garden." But Julie and Philip are both very quiet people who just love being on their own together whenever they can.

Julie said: "The side of being married to a footballer that people do not see are all the nights spent alone. Especially this season there have been the World Championships in Brazil, Tokyo and the European matches, not to mention the pre-season tours.

"Philip going away hasn't got any easier with time. The worst one for us was when he went away two days after we were married -- I was distraught.

"I think he broke the club record for the highest ever phone bill while they were away."

One thing that helps is the fact that her family have always been massive Manchester United fans and Julie rarely misses a match, home or away, so she does see more of Philip than some of the other players' wives see their husbands.

"I love football and have always gone to Old Trafford. Me and Philip also support Bury and go to Gigg Lane whenever we can.

"My favourite player is Philip - not just because he is my husband but because I think he is really versatile and can play anywhere on the pitch without looking out of position." And spending a lot of time at Old Trafford means that Julie has forged friendships with the wives and girlfriends of the other players.

She said: "We all get on really well.

"We meet up at the matches and if the lads are away we will have a girls' night out.

"I still have all my old friends from school, and my best friend Tara lives in Leeds. She is always asking us to go over and have a night out with her and her fiance.

"But what she doesn't realise is that because of the rivalry between Leeds and Manchester United it just wouldn't be safe for Philip to go out in Leeds.

"So Tara comes over here or I go to Leeds on my own to meet her for lunch.

"My everyday life may have changed but I'm still the same person I always was."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.