England’s Lionesses are raring to go in the Women’s World Cup 2023 final against Spain and the nation is holding its breath to see if they can go all the way and bring the trophy home.
With a historic place to be in the finals, the sold-out game is set to be a tense one, with a vast majority of seats taken by home supporters.
She said: “We’re always preparing for that, no matter the opponent. Their fans are always going to want the opposition to lose, that’s football. We know that we’re going to have fans there, yes they’re going to have more, but we’ve been in these moments before and as players we’ve embraced these moments.”
But sure to be cheering them on from the sidelines will be the Lionesses’ girlfriends and boyfriends. A number of the England stars are settled down with long-term partners, some of whom have also made names for themselves in the sporting world, while romance has also sparked for others with their team-mates. Here, we take a look at the Lionesses ‘ love lives…
Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh
England defender Lucy Bronze, who is c onsidered to be one of the best players in the world, said the Lionesses are feeling ’empowered’ ahead of their World Cup opener. The 31-year-old is said to be dating Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh, 26, who has now made it to the England women’s national team also.
The teammates reportedly share a house together and have their own pooch. Although the pair haven’t made it ‘Instagram official’, they have shared a series of snaps together online. From their recent girls’ trip to LA, where they posed on a beach together, to a romantic trip to Lyon in 2019, the duo have spent much of their time off in each other’s company.
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Alex Greenwood
Manchester City’s Alex, 29, is known for being one of the more glamorous of the Lionesses. But Alex admitted she hates the talk being about her appearance.
Speaking to POPSUGAR, she opened up about the relentless messages from trolls about the fact she wears false eyelashes. “I know for a fact now if I scroll through my tweets or DMs, there will always, always, without a doubt be someone who has something to say about the eyelashes that I wear, or the fact that, apparently, I wear makeup for every game,” she said.
“Someone always has something to say about how you look.” Meanwhile, Alex has been with her childhood sweetheart since she first burst onto the pitch.
Alex met Jack O’Connell, a Sheffield United footballer, at their sixth-form college Savio Salesian in Bootle, Merseyside. They sometimes give fans a glimpse into their lives together with holiday snaps posted to Instagram and it is no surprise that their home life also revolves around the game.
“I’m obsessed with football,” Alex said. “Often, at home, all Jack and I talk about is football, we watch it and analyse it all the time. People ask what I do to get away from the game but I don’t want to escape it.”
Chloe Kelly
Another Manchester City player who has made a name for herself is 25-year-old Chloe Kelly. She was crowned a hero in the Euros 2022 after scoring the winning goal in the 110th minute against Germany.
Hailing from West London, Chloe now appears to live in a stunning home in Manchester along with her boyfriend of four years, Scott, and their adorable pet dog, Otis. The star often shares snaps of the pair together on Instagram and just last month, shared an update of what looked to be their ‘date night.’
“Much needed downtime with my [love heart emoji] before a big summer ahead,” she posted last month, alongside a photograph of the couple dressed up together. Winger Kelly aims to bring out her passion for the sport which she has adored since she was a young girl.
Chloe said: “I think it is really important to have that personality that I try to bring on the pitch every day. I try to just be creative, free and just play with a smile on my face. I think that little girl is still inside me, the one that loves playing football.
“Being at such a huge tournament, that’s exactly what I am going there to do. I am going there as the little girl of Chloe Kelly that just loves playing football. There will be so many kids with that dream to play at a World Cup, and that’s all I think about. One day I was that little girl with this huge dream.”
Speedy striker Chloe was pictured cuddling her boyfriend Scott on the beach, near to the England base camp in Terrigal last week. On Tuesday morning after their crucial win against Nigeria, she posted a snap of her other half with the caption “he’s finally here”. They were seen walking along the promenade with Chloe’s dad, Noel, who has been out in Oz since the start of the tournament.
Georgia Stanway
At the age of 24, Georgia is one of the youngest players in England’s World Cup line-up and aside from the national team, plays as an attacking midfielder for Frauen-Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
Off the pitch, you can find Georgia, from Cumbria, cheering on at the sidelines as her boyfriend Olly Ashall-Boll, 25, is a rugby star who plays for Toulouse Olympique. The couple have dated since 2018 after Olly slid into her Instagram DMs. When he’s not working in France, the couple live together in Widnes, Cheshire.
Speaking after her Euros victory last year, Olly gushed over how proud he was of her achievements. He said: “What a game to go see! They got the job done in front of a full stadium. I was buzzing and so happy for her and the team.
“It sounds weird but it feels like I played in it myself. Because we’re so close, I think I got the same feeling as her – maybe not quite as much but I still feel like I won as well. And sharing moments like that with her is just incredible for me. There’s a video of me on TV giving her a hug at Wembley, memories like that you never forget.
“I got to go to the after-match party and see all the girls – I know most of them because I’ve been with Georgia for a long time. I’m not going to say too much because she’ll get big-headed but she knows how proud I am of her.”
While they’ve dated for five years, the pair show no signs of settling down just yet. Determined Georgia said: “We’re enjoying each other’s company, we’re still young and just loving life. I’ve got trophies that I want to lift before I lift any children up.”
Ella Toone
Midfielder Ella Toone, 23, was spotted last week going for a romantic walk along the coastal rocks with her boyfriend, Joe Bunney. Also a professional footballer from Manchester, the 29-year-old who plays as a defender and forward for Stalybridge Celtic, shared a couple of snaps to social media ahead of today’s match, saying: “Semi-final bound [love heart emoji]” alongside a picture of Joe with his arm around Ella.
The couple reportedly met through mutual friends and they have been each other’s biggest cheerleaders ever since. But it’s Ella that attracts the attention when they’re out and about.
Ella told The Times : “Whenever I go to Joe’s games, the amount of lads who come over to me is mad and that is what really makes me smile. I stand there a lot of the time with my hood up, trying to watch, but they’ll say, ‘Are you Ella Toone of United? Can I have a picture?’”
Rachel Daly
Rachel, 31, from Harrogate, plays for Aston Villa when she isn’t representing her home nation. But before her Villa signing, she lived across the pond in Texas with a previous position with Houston Dash. The footballing pro was previously linked to American soccer player Kristie Mewis, who began as team-mates before their friendship flourished into a romantic relationship in November 2017.
After two years together, the couple decided to part ways and continued to play together until 2021, when Mewis moved to her current club NJ/NY Gotham FC and Daly went back to England. Rachel then struck up a romance with Manchester United player Millie Turner in 2021.
The pair regularly share loved-up snaps together on social media, along with their rescue dog Dexi. In the same year, Mewis found love again and began dating Chelsea superstar Kerr. Their romance first made headlines when they were photographed embracing on the pitch after the USA beat Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. At the time, Kerr’s break-up with her partner of seven years, fellow footballer Nikki Stanton, had not yet become public.
The pair made it official when they snapped a picture of them kissing on Instagram. Now, two years later, Kerr and Mewis are one of football’s power couples. In an interview with Gaffer, Kerr said: “I think just being out and being two girls in love, I think if we can change one or two people’s lives and the way that they feel about each other and how comfortable they feel, then that means a lot to me. I love to share my relationship on social media.” It is believed Mewis will be among the crowd in the Stadium Australia on Wednesday, supporting her new girlfriend.
Lauren Hemp
At just 22, Lauren Hemp is a rising star among the squad. The Manchester City forward has won an accolade of top awards, having claimed four Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year awards.
Like some of her teammates, she is also dating a fellow professional footballer. She and Ellie Butler, who plays for Coventry FC, have been in a relationship since 2021. Last summer the pair shared some snaps together from their trip to Amsterdam on Instagram while they’ve also filmed funny dancing routines on TikTok.
Beth Mead
England’s 2022 Player of the Year, Beth Mead, stormed to Euros glory last summer but is missing the World Cup while she works her way back towards full fitness. Beth previously opened up about her sexuality after revealing she was in a relationship with fellow Arsenal teammate Vivianne Miedema.
The 28-year-old said she struggled with her sexuality for a long time, but is now confident to open up about the subject, even joking that the star power of her relationship with Miedema is on par with that of David and Victoria Beckham for ‘the lesbian world’. She told Sky Sports : “Actually, I’ve never physically come out and said I’m gay, I’m with a girl because I’ve not had to. I’m just being me. I’ve put pictures with my partner on social media. To me, I’ve tried to make it the norm rather than make it a statement.
“Obviously for the men right now, they have to put it out in the media to then see what reaction they get and I get the culture in the men’s game is still very different and it is much, much harder. But for me, I want to bridge that gap and help men as much as women. It’s a tough process. It is emotionally and physically draining, and I get all aspects for people, but for me, you can’t help who you fall in love with and if you are happy at the end of the day.”
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