Leicester City WAGs... From Midwife, Reality Star until Kim Kardashian Lookalike
Leicester City WAGs... From Midwife, Reality Star until Kim Kardashian Lookalike
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LEICESTER - Anyone with even a passing interest in football will admit to being hooked by the straight-out-of-Hollywood tale of Leicester City's Premier League campaign this season.
If the title-chasing underdogs, known as the Foxes, can claw just two more points from the two games left this season, they'll pull off one of the most astonishing victories in the history of UK football.
However, while the wives and girlfriends at other, higher-profile football clubs might already be in the public eye - think Coleen Rooney, Abbey Clancy and Alex Gerrard - the Leicester WAGS have been distinctly below the radar. Until now, that is.
Here's our low-down on the women who will be cheering on the Midland club's players as they make their final push for glory...something they could grasp tonight should Tottenham lose to Chelsea.
ASHLEIGH DEFTY AND DANNY SIMPSON
High profile couplings in the Leicester squad are relatively rare so the news that 29-year-old right back Danny Simpson is stepping out with reality starlet Ashleigh Defty, 21, have made the gossip columns this week.
According to a source close to the couple, it's 'early days' but Ashleigh, who appeared on hit show Ex On The Beach, has apparently already 'started referring to him as her boyfriend.'
A real player: Danny enjoyed a brief romance with Vicky Pattison in 2014 and the pair were friends for years before their dalliance. Right, the right back, 29, also dated Tulisa at the height of her X Factor fame
Ashleigh previously dated Celebrity Big Brother winner Scotty T for two years before he entered the Geordie Shore house, and the pair grew close again during their stint on Ex On The Beach.
Meanwhile, Danny enjoyed a high profile romance with Tulisa Contostavlos for six months in the summer of 2013.
But the former X Factor host was less than complimentary after their split, claiming the premier league player was no match for her ‘celebrity or intellect’. Miaow.
RITA MAHREZ AND RIYAD MAHREZ
Riyad Mahrez is football's newest king: the unassuming winger who rose from the anonymity of Leicester City's dressing room to become the Premier League's player of the year in just twelve months.
Leicester are on the brink of winning their first-ever Premier League title, needing just two points
Leicester are on the brink of winning their first-ever Premier League title, needing just two points
His wife, Rita Mahrez, mother of the couple's six-month-old baby Inaya - a name with Arabic origins meaning help, care and protection, is a stunning 24-year-old former businesswoman who bears more than a passing resemblance to reality television star Kim Kardashian.
Yet the beautiful brunette, who married Leicester star Mahrez in a secret ceremony just eight months ago, does not court the limelight.
She was not seen publicly at the recent PFA ceremony where her husband was flown by helicopter to accept his Player of the Year award, and has never discussed their relationship.
She is partial to an Instagram love letter though and has been gushing in her support of Riyad on the social media site, where she regularly posts loving messages of support to the Premier League star - or, as she called him in one recent post, 'my right side'.
In another picture, posted to a fan site, Mahrez appears to refer to her as his 'left side'. Aaah!
Surprise: Long-haired Rita wed Mahrez in August 2015, just a few months before the arrival of their daughter, Inaya. She is clearly settling into married life well - this selfie is captioned 'dinner with hubby'
Swamped: Life has certainly changed for Mahrez, who was crowned the toast of English football last night after being named PFA Player of the Year. But with fame has come restrictions - including being unable to go out shopping with his wife and daughter
BECKY NICHOLSON AND JAMIE VARDY
If Hollywood makes the rumoured film of Leicester's unthinkable possible victory, then Jamie Vardy, once released from his professional footballing contract only to claw his way back to the top and prove instrumental to the club's campaign, will be the stand-out star.
His fiancée, Becky, 33, is perhaps the most recognisable of the Leicester WAGS, thanks to a fling with Peter Andre. Of her dalliance with the singing star back in 2001, she told The Sun: 'He was the worst lover I’ve had.'
With her own management team and a forthcoming wedding to Vardy when the season ends, Becky is likely to be enjoying her moment in the WAG spotlight for seasons to come.
Just don't mention Peter: Becky Nicholson once revealed to The Sun that she'd slept with Peter Andre in 2001...but called the presenter 'the worst lover' she'd ever had
STINE GYLDENBRAND AND KASPER SCHMEICHEL
Marrying into a goalkeeping dynasty - Leicester goalie Kasper Schmeichel is the son of former Manchester United legend Peter - you might expect Danish beauty Stine Gyldenbrand to sit back and reap the rewards of being a WAG.
Not the case here; Gyldenbrand combines flaxen-haired good looks with brains. After graduating as a midwife at the University of Chester in 2009, she has worked as a midwife at a hospital near Birmingham.
The couple have two children together, Isabella and Max, and started their own foundation, The Gyldenbrand Schmeichel Foundation, in 2012.
CHLOE LEA FULFORD AND MARK ALBRIGHTON
Chloe Fulford, 24, who lives with Leicester winger Albrighton in the West Midlands was caught up in a terrorist tragedy when her mother Sue Davey, 44, and her 42-year-old partner Scott Chalkley were killed in the 2015 terror attacks. The couple had been celebrating buying a house when they were gunned down.
Mother of Albrighton's two daughters, Matilda-Beau and Dollie-Boo, Fulford has frequently used her Twitter profile to add her voice to the war on terror including tweeting Prime Minister David Cameron and protesting against a Panorama programme which showed footage of the shootings.
Chloe tragically lost her mother in the 2015 Tunisia terror bombings and has been vocal on social media about the war on terror since the attacks
ROXI LEE AND LIAM MOORE
Roxi Lee pictured with centre-back boyfriend Liam Moore, who's currently gunning for glory with the Leicester squad
Another WAG happy to be out of the spotlight, Roxi Lee keeps her Twitter account private although she does call her daughter 'my world' and fiance Liam Moore 'my future' in her profile.
Set to wed former England U21 star Moore, 23, the couple already have a daughter, Milah Monroe Moore, who was born in September 2015.
Liam is clearly smitten with the mother of his child; his Twitter profile describes him as the 'other half @Roxi_lee' and also carries the words 'Family First' with a loveheart emoji.
LEAH RICHARDS AND MATTY JAMES
Look out world the Leicester City WAGS are on their way.
With their boyfriends and husbands making the back pages of all the newspapers for their incredible season in the Premiership, the ladies of Leicester are making headlines of their own.
And we knew we'd spot a Self-Portrait dress among them and this pretty lilac look is on the fiance of Matty James; the blonde and beautiful Leah Richards. It looks like she wore this lace midi to a wedding and that's exactly where you'll find countless frocks by this British label this summer.
So why not join the gang and treat yourself to one too just in time for the sunnier seasons? Click (right) to buy Leah's pastel confection at Selfridges now but be quick because it's selling out fast.
Glamorous couple Leah Richards and Matty James got spliced in New York last autumn and blonde Leah's Twitter timeline certainly suggests the high life.
When she's not celebrating the hen party of Becky Nicholson, set to wed Jamie Vardy, she's dining at upmarket restaurants including Sketch in London's West End.
Leah's clearly been watching every kick of the campaign closely; ahead of yesterday's thriller against Manchester United, she posted on Twitter: 'Nerves kicking in' followed by four emojis including two with gritted teeth. Her man won't be involved on the pitch though; James is still recovering from injury.
If the title-chasing underdogs, known as the Foxes, can claw just two more points from the two games left this season, they'll pull off one of the most astonishing victories in the history of UK football.
However, while the wives and girlfriends at other, higher-profile football clubs might already be in the public eye - think Coleen Rooney, Abbey Clancy and Alex Gerrard - the Leicester WAGS have been distinctly below the radar. Until now, that is.
Here's our low-down on the women who will be cheering on the Midland club's players as they make their final push for glory...something they could grasp tonight should Tottenham lose to Chelsea.
ASHLEIGH DEFTY AND DANNY SIMPSON
High profile couplings in the Leicester squad are relatively rare so the news that 29-year-old right back Danny Simpson is stepping out with reality starlet Ashleigh Defty, 21, have made the gossip columns this week.
According to a source close to the couple, it's 'early days' but Ashleigh, who appeared on hit show Ex On The Beach, has apparently already 'started referring to him as her boyfriend.'
A real player: Danny enjoyed a brief romance with Vicky Pattison in 2014 and the pair were friends for years before their dalliance. Right, the right back, 29, also dated Tulisa at the height of her X Factor fame
Ashleigh previously dated Celebrity Big Brother winner Scotty T for two years before he entered the Geordie Shore house, and the pair grew close again during their stint on Ex On The Beach.
Meanwhile, Danny enjoyed a high profile romance with Tulisa Contostavlos for six months in the summer of 2013.
But the former X Factor host was less than complimentary after their split, claiming the premier league player was no match for her ‘celebrity or intellect’. Miaow.
RITA MAHREZ AND RIYAD MAHREZ
Riyad Mahrez is football's newest king: the unassuming winger who rose from the anonymity of Leicester City's dressing room to become the Premier League's player of the year in just twelve months.
Leicester are on the brink of winning their first-ever Premier League title, needing just two points
Leicester are on the brink of winning their first-ever Premier League title, needing just two points
His wife, Rita Mahrez, mother of the couple's six-month-old baby Inaya - a name with Arabic origins meaning help, care and protection, is a stunning 24-year-old former businesswoman who bears more than a passing resemblance to reality television star Kim Kardashian.
Yet the beautiful brunette, who married Leicester star Mahrez in a secret ceremony just eight months ago, does not court the limelight.
She was not seen publicly at the recent PFA ceremony where her husband was flown by helicopter to accept his Player of the Year award, and has never discussed their relationship.
She is partial to an Instagram love letter though and has been gushing in her support of Riyad on the social media site, where she regularly posts loving messages of support to the Premier League star - or, as she called him in one recent post, 'my right side'.
In another picture, posted to a fan site, Mahrez appears to refer to her as his 'left side'. Aaah!
Surprise: Long-haired Rita wed Mahrez in August 2015, just a few months before the arrival of their daughter, Inaya. She is clearly settling into married life well - this selfie is captioned 'dinner with hubby'
Swamped: Life has certainly changed for Mahrez, who was crowned the toast of English football last night after being named PFA Player of the Year. But with fame has come restrictions - including being unable to go out shopping with his wife and daughter
BECKY NICHOLSON AND JAMIE VARDY
If Hollywood makes the rumoured film of Leicester's unthinkable possible victory, then Jamie Vardy, once released from his professional footballing contract only to claw his way back to the top and prove instrumental to the club's campaign, will be the stand-out star.
His fiancée, Becky, 33, is perhaps the most recognisable of the Leicester WAGS, thanks to a fling with Peter Andre. Of her dalliance with the singing star back in 2001, she told The Sun: 'He was the worst lover I’ve had.'
With her own management team and a forthcoming wedding to Vardy when the season ends, Becky is likely to be enjoying her moment in the WAG spotlight for seasons to come.
Just don't mention Peter: Becky Nicholson once revealed to The Sun that she'd slept with Peter Andre in 2001...but called the presenter 'the worst lover' she'd ever had
STINE GYLDENBRAND AND KASPER SCHMEICHEL
Marrying into a goalkeeping dynasty - Leicester goalie Kasper Schmeichel is the son of former Manchester United legend Peter - you might expect Danish beauty Stine Gyldenbrand to sit back and reap the rewards of being a WAG.
Not the case here; Gyldenbrand combines flaxen-haired good looks with brains. After graduating as a midwife at the University of Chester in 2009, she has worked as a midwife at a hospital near Birmingham.
The couple have two children together, Isabella and Max, and started their own foundation, The Gyldenbrand Schmeichel Foundation, in 2012.
CHLOE LEA FULFORD AND MARK ALBRIGHTON
Chloe Fulford, 24, who lives with Leicester winger Albrighton in the West Midlands was caught up in a terrorist tragedy when her mother Sue Davey, 44, and her 42-year-old partner Scott Chalkley were killed in the 2015 terror attacks. The couple had been celebrating buying a house when they were gunned down.
Mother of Albrighton's two daughters, Matilda-Beau and Dollie-Boo, Fulford has frequently used her Twitter profile to add her voice to the war on terror including tweeting Prime Minister David Cameron and protesting against a Panorama programme which showed footage of the shootings.
Chloe tragically lost her mother in the 2015 Tunisia terror bombings and has been vocal on social media about the war on terror since the attacks
ROXI LEE AND LIAM MOORE
Roxi Lee pictured with centre-back boyfriend Liam Moore, who's currently gunning for glory with the Leicester squad
Another WAG happy to be out of the spotlight, Roxi Lee keeps her Twitter account private although she does call her daughter 'my world' and fiance Liam Moore 'my future' in her profile.
Set to wed former England U21 star Moore, 23, the couple already have a daughter, Milah Monroe Moore, who was born in September 2015.
Liam is clearly smitten with the mother of his child; his Twitter profile describes him as the 'other half @Roxi_lee' and also carries the words 'Family First' with a loveheart emoji.
LEAH RICHARDS AND MATTY JAMES
Look out world the Leicester City WAGS are on their way.
With their boyfriends and husbands making the back pages of all the newspapers for their incredible season in the Premiership, the ladies of Leicester are making headlines of their own.
And we knew we'd spot a Self-Portrait dress among them and this pretty lilac look is on the fiance of Matty James; the blonde and beautiful Leah Richards. It looks like she wore this lace midi to a wedding and that's exactly where you'll find countless frocks by this British label this summer.
So why not join the gang and treat yourself to one too just in time for the sunnier seasons? Click (right) to buy Leah's pastel confection at Selfridges now but be quick because it's selling out fast.
Glamorous couple Leah Richards and Matty James got spliced in New York last autumn and blonde Leah's Twitter timeline certainly suggests the high life.
When she's not celebrating the hen party of Becky Nicholson, set to wed Jamie Vardy, she's dining at upmarket restaurants including Sketch in London's West End.
Leah's clearly been watching every kick of the campaign closely; ahead of yesterday's thriller against Manchester United, she posted on Twitter: 'Nerves kicking in' followed by four emojis including two with gritted teeth. Her man won't be involved on the pitch though; James is still recovering from injury.
(rnz)
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