John Terry will miss Chelsea's FA Cup tie against Cardiff this weekend after being granted leave by manger Carlo Ancelotti.

Terry is taking time off to address personal issues in light of the continuing media storm over his private life.

The 29-year-old was sacked as England skipper last week after he was alleged to have had an affair with the former partner of international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins said: "He will not play this weekend. Carlo is giving him a bit of time off.

"He will come back and prepare for our game against Wolves on the 20th.

"They just had a little chat, John and Carlo, and decided that would be the best for all concerned."

Terry played as leaders Chelsea were beaten 2-1 in the Barclays Premier League at Everton tonight, his fourth match since the stories broke.

The Everton supporters actually showed little interest in barracking Terry but the trip to Goodison Park was still one to forget.

Terry was at fault for the Toffees' winning goal as he missed the chance to cut out a long ball from Sylvain Distin and Louis Saha capitalised to fire his second of the night.

According to reports, Terry is now set to fly to Dubai to meet up with his wife Toni, who left the UK soon after the revelations became public.