Nelly's affair of the Hearts.

The dark-haired beauty floats into the room on a sea of expensive perfume. Her leather trousers and silk chemise perfectly frame her petite figure.

Reclining in a throne-like chair in her plush townhouse, she could easily have stepped from the pages of Vogue.

She hesitates for a second before singing in a husky French accent: "This is my story, this is my song.

"Follow the Hearts and you can't go wrong.

"Some say that Celtic and Rangers are grand.

"But the boys in maroon are the best in the land."

This is Nelly Rousset, the wife of Hearts goalkeeper Gilles.

And probably the only woman to make the Jambos song sound sexy.

Imagine Edith Piaf singing Flower of Scotland and you have some idea.

Nelly then bursts into laughter and says: "I have no idea what I sing, but I have learned the words.

"My son, he say `Oh no mum, you have a terrible French accent'."

She spent most of the Cup Final in prayer. At the final whistle, and with her husband named man of the match, she burst into tears.

Seven-year-old Lucas may be embarrassed by his mother's chant.

But the Tynecastle fans could not fail to be mesmerised by such an exotic creature in their midst.

And the Roussets hope to be decorating Tynecastle for years to come, having developed an attachment to Scotland that could see them settle here.

Nelly, 39, said: "Once Gilles' contract is up, if we have to go back to France, Laurie has decided to stay in Edinburgh."

Laurie, 18, is her daughter by a previous marriage and she has been adopted by Gilles.

Nelly added: "And just ask our son where he prefers to live. He will cry and say he wants to stay in Scotland."

The door opens and Gilles - all six foot five inches of him - enters and says in an even more bizarre mixture of French and Scottish: "Aye, the wee man loves it here. He's a right big Jambo."

The living room of their Edinburgh home is a shrine to their two great passions - football and family.

Lucas's school paintings mingle on the mantlepiece with Gilles' trophies.

Gilles, 35, said: "Lucas keeps telling me he wants to play for Scotland, which is a problem.

"I tell him `You can't. You are French'.

"But he says he does not want to be French, he'd rather be Scottish."

Gilles loves Scotland so much he is reported to have refused an offer to join Sunderland - a move which would have quadrupled his wages.

The family attend college for English lessons, although Gilles' time with Hearts and Lucas's days at school mean they have grasped the language much faster than Nelly.

At the same time, Nelly ensures Lucas keeps up with his native tongue at the French Institute, in case Gilles' career ever takes them back to France.

Gilles met his Nelly during his spell with his first team, Sochaux, a small town team in the east of France.

Now, 10 years later, his career has taken from France to the place they now call home.

Nelly said: "We lived in Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Sochaux, and then came to Scotland."

As she drinks he coffee, Nelly chuckle and holds up her Hearts mug which feature a photo of Gilles.

She added: "He sleeps with me, I drink with him. He is always with me."

Taken from the Daily Record