From NFL all-star to public enemy number one: OJ Simpson’s life after the trial of the century

More than almost any celebrity of his generation, OJ Simpson’s life was sharply divided into two parts – before and after one shocking and seismic event that reverberated around the world.

Up until 1994, Simpson was as an All-American hero – celebrated for his prowess on the football field and later a successful career on both the big and small screen. One magazine hailed him as “the first black athlete to become a bona fide lovable media superstar”.

But after he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994, even his acquittal the following year after a “trial of the century” could do nothing to restore his reputation.

An electrifying car chase up and down the highways of Los Angeles in a white Ford Bronco, captured by news helicopters and broadcast around the world, meant that his trial was before it had even begun. One of the first big court cases to be shown live, it was watched day by day by millions around.