John Stamos recalls ‘awful’ moment he found former girlfriend in bed with Tony Danza

John Stamos has recounted the “awful” and “physically painful” moment he claims he found his former girlfriend, the actor and model Teri Copley, in bed with Tony Danza.

The Full House star dated Copley from 1984 to 1985. He claimed that it was during this time he walked in on her in bed with Taxi actor Danza, and details the alleged incident in his forthcoming memoir If You Would Have Told Me.

“I can’t explain it, but I would’ve rather been punched in the nose again or something because the pain is so overwhelming,” Stamos told People ahead of the book’s release on Tuesday (24 October).

“Looking back, it’s like, probably, she wasn’t the right girl for me. So seeing [Danza], realising it was him and stuff, it was hard. I mean, it was awful.”

The General Hospital alum, now 60, continued: “At first I was like, ‘I’m going to kick his…’ I didn’t know it was [Danza] yet. I see his abs. I’m like, ‘Maybe not. F*** it.’ And I ran.

“But I remember running down the driveway with tears streaming down my face and I didn’t want anyone to see me.”

Copley, now 62, maintains that she and Stamos were separated at the time of the incident. “I wondered, ‘What was John doing there?’ because we had broken up,” the former model told People. “He just looked at me and shook his head, and walked away.”

In his memoir, Stamos recalls identifying the man with the “ripped abs” as Danza after discovering a poster of Copley signed “My Dear Tony” in the passenger seat of an unknown car parked outside of her house.

“I jump in the El Co, start the car, and Elton John is still singing, and that’s when it hits me,” reads an excerpt from Stamos’s memoir, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I mouth the words to his most famous lyrics and realise the name of my rival: ‘Hold me closer, Tony Danza. ...’”

“It took me a long time to get over that,” Stamos told People.

Describing Copley as “just a nice person”, he added: “I mean, it wasn’t right to cheat on me, but I was too immature; I wasn’t a man. I didn’t become a man for a long time and I think she was... I don’t know. I was broken.”

The Independent has contacted Danza’s representative for comment.

Stamos married his second wife Caitlin McHugh in 2018. The pair have one child together, five-year-old Billy. He was previously married to Ugly Betty actor Rebecca Romijn from 1998 to 2005.

If You Would Have Told Me will be released on Tuesday (24 October).