Baden Baden was the last hurrah for the WAGs who have never been quite as glitzy since, so what happened to the posse who joined Victoria Beckham in the town where she ‘buried her fake boobs’

It was the year Shakira‘s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ was taking over club speakers, viewers were tuning into a nail-biting X-Factor final with a young Leona Lewis – and something called ‘Twitter‘ was the hot new website on the block.

But along with Britney Spears filing for divorce from K-Fed and David Tennant’s Doctor Who and Rose travelling to New Earth, British football was on a high with one of the most impressive FIFA World cup England squads of all time.

And perhaps more famous than the players themselves were their very glamorous wives and girlfriends – or WAGs – who made headline upon headline for their nights out and shopping sprees in the sleepy German town of Baden-Baden, where the World Cup was held that year.

Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Coleen Rooney were among the statement belt and designer shades-clad celebrities who were on hand to show support for their partners, who despite an all-star team were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Enraged public opinion even went so far as to blame the pack of stiletto-stomping, bronzed women with hair extensions on England’s loss, rather than a penalty shootout with Portugal – but they have come a long way since then.

Speaking in her new documentary, out today, Posh Spice herself reflected on her journey from David’s cheerleader into one of the biggest names in fashion, admitting: ‘It was fun! I had big boobs, I had big hair.

‘It was a moment in time. We were the WAGs and they were the HABs – husbands and boyfriends. Us ladies were shopping and we were owning it.’ 

 As a montage of her iconic Baden-Baden moments flashed on screen she added: ‘I look at those pictures and I smile but when I look back and think why? 

‘I suppose there was an element of attention-seeking if I’m being completely honest. I didn’t feel creatively fulfilled so it’s how I stayed in the conversation – from Spice Girl to WAG. 

‘I didn’t realise it at the time but I was trying to find myself. I felt incomplete, sad, frozen in time. I was appreciative of what I had but I need a sense of purpose.’

The reign of the WAGs is far from over however, with the legendary Baden-Baden line-up proving themselves to be stars in their own right – becoming pop culture titans in music, television, and even the courtroom…

Victoria Beckham

As half of one of the most famous couples in the world, Victoria was undoubtedly the Queen of the WAGs while her husband David was captaining the England squad.

During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Posh Spice was often seen pitchside with fellow popstar Cheryl Cole.

With long extensions in her hair, a lot for fake tan, towering heels and short shorts, the former Spice Girl certainly set the trend for WAG-core.

But just two years later, Victoria launched her own fashion line, which was a world away from the garish colours and brash designs sported by noughties footballer’s wives, landing a campaign with Marc Jacobs. 

However, she admitted she was left ‘horrified’ when she saw the images.

The now iconic shoot saw her pose in a giant shopping bag among other images.

‘It was very much poking fun at me,’ she said. ‘And that’s when I realised I was a laughing stock. No one took me seriously in this industry.

‘I knew I wanted to be designer, that I had a point of view but I also knew that I needed someone to believe in me.’

Thankfully Victoria managed to find a mentor in Roland Mouret and he advised her that she needed to ‘kill off’ the WAG image. 

‘To start this new chapter of my life I had to change and strip the other personas away,’ Victoria mused. 

‘I buried those boobs in Baden-Baden. I became a simpler, more elegant version of myself and I went to work.’ 

While she may look worlds away from her WAG days, she still visits the German town – but for a more wholesome reason. 

Nowadays, the designer and her family jet abroad to visit lavish spa retreat Villa Stéphanie Spa & Wellbeing, where she and her family get their ‘annual checkups’.

The retreat – which is described as an entire house dedicated to the world of spa – on its website, offers rooms starting from €270 a night (£231) and massages from €170 (£145). A seven night programme starts from €4,000 (£3,430) per person. 

Villa Stéphanie Spa & Wellbeing covers five floors and boasts a sauna, plunge pool, indoor swimming pool, private gym, and treatment rooms overlooking the gardens. 

Victoria’s Netflix show comes from the makers of Beckham and Michelle Obama‘s Becoming, following the success of husband David’s docuseries.  

It delves deep into her fashion brand and followed her in the runup to her Paris Fashion Week show last September.

England football legend David, whom Victoria wed in 1999, already found huge success with his Netflix documentary Beckham last year, in which Victoria starred.

David recently admitted the new documentary ‘wasn’t the easiest thing to get her to agree to’ but gushed that Victoria is ‘unbelievably hard-working and very clever’ and the world deserves to see that.

Coleen Rooney

Coleen McLoughlin was just a school girl when she was shot into the spotlight dating England wonderkid Wayne Rooney.

The duo began seeing each other when they were 16 – fresh from the sporting ace’s Everton signing – and the football world’s youngest WAG soon became a tabloid favourite, with her conversation-sparking style choices hitting headlines. 

In her early days of stardom, Coleen, now 39, became famed for her Juicy Couture tracksuits, garish gowns and huge hair – making her a pioneer of the WAG look –  she was cruelly dubbed ‘a chav’ by vile critics. 

At the time, she hit back, saying: ‘I haven’t set out to be famous, but I’m beginning to feel like I can’t win. I’m not the person the newspapers think I am…

‘And there’s all this hype, but I didn’t seek it. And I don’t understand that chav label. I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. When you see someone in the paper, it’s so different to real life, isn’t it?’

However fast forward nearly two decades and the Vogue cover girl has reimagined herself entirely as she has swapped bright looks and sports luxe ensembles for bang on-trend get-ups – particularly her recent Wagatha Christie courtroom style.

Uggs were having their day while Mukluk Boots were essentials to be worn with a Juicy tracksuit alongside Balenciaga’s City Bag – all looks Coleen ensured were in her teen, WAG in-training look-book to earn her title.  

When she was seen out and about in her native Liverpool, she was often seen heading to her favourite boutique Cricket. 

In 2003, aged just 16, Coleen was seen in her school uniform heading out of the shop with a vast and distinguishable paper bag from the luxury fashion retailer. 

In 2005, The Guardian branded Cricket ‘an unofficial footballers’ wives’ headquarters’ as a host of photographers would camp outside to catch a look at WAGS including Coleen, Alex Gerrard and Abbey Clancy. 

Hot on the heels of her ‘Cricket’ days, Coleen and Wayne were headed to the altar.  

Coleen and Wayne married in 2008 in a lavish ceremony in Italy, when they were both 22 and went on to welcome four sons. 

Aged just 20, the stunner was later pictured alongside Victoria at the Beckhams’ Pre-World Cup Party in Hertfordshire in May 2006.

Coleen’s style grew increasingly finessed as her time in the spotlight continued – with this proven when she went to war with fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy in recent years.

In October 2019, Coleen took to Twitter to reveal one of her followers on her private Instagram account was leaking her stories to The Sun.

She explained that after an arduous investigation she had concluded Jamie Vardy’s wife Rebekah was to blame for intrusions – leading to the Wagatha Christie case.

The duo went to court in a heated battle for defamation, with legal bills hitting a reported £500,000 each before Coleen proved victorious.

During the court case in 2022, Coleen nailed her style icon status as she sashayed into court in a series of muted yet elegant ensembles.

Due to an injury, she had her foot in a moonboot for the duration of the case however took the hindrance in her stride as she paired the look with a singular Gucci loafer alongside a number of chic looks.

She was supported by husband Wayne at court where she wowed in chic looks paired with designer accents such as a Chanel bag and Yves Saint Laurent belt.

In the wake of the court case, she scored the coveted cover spot on Vogue UK’s September issue – in which she stated: ‘It’s my story to tell’.

Cheryl Cole

The most famous WAG in Baden-Baden, after Victoria Beckham, Cheryl was often by Queen VB’s side to cheer on her then-man Ashley Cole.

After finding fame in Girls Aloud, Cheryl went on to have a successful solo career and was a judge on X Factor and the Greatest Dancer.

Skimpy skirts, fake tan and dodgy hair dos were part and parcel or being a noughties pop icon.

Remaining in the public eye for more than 20 years, Cheryl has certainly had her share of ups and downs.

With fledging fame in 2003, Cheryl, then 19, was accused of racially aggravated assault after punching a toilet attendant in a row over paying for sweets left for customers by the sinks. 

Amogbokpa, then 39, claimed Cheryl grabbed ‘handfuls’ of sweets without leaving any money and screamed racist abuse at her when she tried to prevent her leaving.

She alleged that Cheryl – who’d been partying at the Surrey club with bandmate Nicola Roberts – punched her, knocked her glasses off and left her left eye closed up.

The singer said afterwards: ‘I am really distraught that people are accusing me of racism, it couldn’t be further from the truth…

‘I have a little one-and-a-half year-old cousin who is Caribbean, so the idea I would say something like that is unthinkable. The one thing in this world that I am not is racist and I never will be…

‘Throughout the Popstars: The Rivals series Javine (Hylton, who is black) was my closest friend. That could never have been the case if I was racist, it is a ridiculous suggestion.’

Cheryl admitted calling the toilet attendant a ‘f**king b***h’, but had denied using racist language. She was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm but cleared of any racist element.

The singer has also faced two divorces – from Ashley (who she claims cheated on him with at least four women) and Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

During her divorce she started dating former mentee and the now late One Direction star Liam Payne – with the pair having a son, eight-year-old Bear, together.

Last year, Liam fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina aged 31.

In a frank interview published in The Sunday Times’ Style magazine in 2018, shortly after their split, the mother-of-one was quoted as telling journalist Decca Aitkenhead how Liam ‘is the only man who has ever been faithful to her’.

The pop star said she had been disappointed by every important man in her life, including her father, brother and ex-husbands, leaving her with ‘zero’ interest in a new relationship. 

Calling her son ‘the man of her dreams’, she said she would happily be single for ever. ‘I do seriously think I might be, I do,’ she told the publication.

‘I would never ever say never, obviously, but I have zero – I tell you, zero –desire to start up a new relationship.’

Since her relationship with Liam – which began in early 2016, when he was 22 and she 32, and ended in July 2018 – Cheryl hasn’t publicly dated anyone.

In 2023, she made her acting debut as Jenny in the West End thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story, taking over the leading role from the likes of Lily Allen and Laura Whitmore.

She has since chosen an alternate career path on the London stage, with the star winning plaudits – and earning a reported £1,000 a night – for her three months.

The singer previously played herself in Hollywood movie What To Expect When You’re Expecting and had a small role as a cutthroat music agent in 2020 film Four Kids And It.

She also featured as a judge on BBC show The Greatest Dancer in 2019 – with the show axed in 2020 after two series.

And last year, Girls Aloud returned to the stage for the first time in 11 years as their reunion tour kicked off in Dublin with a heartbreaking tribute to the late Sarah Harding.

Cheryl joined Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, who made up the iconic girl band alongside Sarah until her tragic death from cancer in 2021.

The girl group’s opening night had their late bandmate at its centre with a rendition of I’ll Stand By You set to a video of Sarah and her vocals, leaving fans in tears. 

Abbey Clancy

Liverpudlian stunner Abbey Clancy  found fame as a lingerie model before marrying Peter Crouch.

She starred in the second series of Britain’s Next Top Model, placing as a runner-up, and then got gigs covering dozens of Lads Mags throughout the noughties.

But now Liverpudlian Clancy has ditched the Cricket for a wardrobe full of  Bottega Veneta and Alaïa – and traded FHM for Tatler.

Now, Abbey spends her days in her Surrey mansion looking after children Sophia, 14, Liberty, 10, Johnny, seven and Jack, four.

She’s even graced the pages of society magazine Tatler, and started a new passion project, interior design.

Her circle even includes Prince William. 

‘He’s just normal really, totally lovely,’ she told the society bible.

William isn’t the only aristocrat Abbey is pally with. 

In her series Abbey Clancy: Celebrity Homes – dubbed a posh British version of MTV cribs – the WAG heads into the homes of the Marchioness of Bath at Longleat and Jodie Kidd at her 17th century Surrey cottage.

Alex Curran

Former nail technician Alex, 43, met midfielder Steven Gerrard in 2002. Before Gerrard, Alex dated soap star Jennifer Ellison’s ex Tony Richardson, while Gerrard was dating Ellison herself.

At some point, the couples ended up with each other’s partners, with Gerrard and Curran staying together and marrying in June 2007 – at the Cliveden House luxury hotel in Buckinghamshire.

The Liverpool lovebirds share four children – Lilly, 18, Lexie 16, Lourdes 10 and five-year-old son Leo. 

In 2006, Alex – then 24 – was touting signature noughties looks with teased hair, oversized sunglasses and statement heels as she joined her WAG squad in Baden-Baden.

The following years then saw her writing a weekly column for the Daily Mirror, titled Go Shopping With Alex Curran and releasing a perfume.

Since then, her life has quietened down. For years, the couple was residing in Saudi for Steven’s job as manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq – which he resigned from earlier this year.

Last month, Steven enjoyed a lavish holiday with his grandchild as his eldest daughter Lilly shared a series of family snaps to Instagram. 

The football manager, 45, stood alongside his wife as they posed for a three-generation picture in the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain Bay. 

In other pictures shared to her social media, Lilly, 21, posed for a selfie in bed alongside her newborn, Lila Grey. 

In another picture, Lilly was spotted carrying her daughter across her chest as she walked with her boyfriend Lee Byrne – who is the son of a jailed Irish gangster.

Lilly, who is the eldest child of former England footballer Steven, revealed she’d welcomed a baby girl named Lila Grey in July. 

Alongside her post, she penned: ‘My little family.’ 

Carly Cole

Player turned pundit Joe, 43, and model Carly, 41, have been together for more than 20 years, tying the know in a romantic London Chelsea ceremony in 2009.

At their time of their marriage, Carly had made a name for herself in her own right, starring in the 2008 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. 

The London-born beauty has also modelled for fashion and fitness magazines and qualified as a personal trainer.

The 2006 Baden-Baden era saw Carly showing off her enviable figure in trendy WAG-core ensembles that included cropped tops, low-rise track bottoms and shirt dresses.

Two years after marrying they welcomed their first child – daughter Ruby, 12. Carly later revealed that the pressures of dealing with a newborn child nearly caused the couple to split.

The couple stayed together though, later welcoming sons Harrison, eleven, and Max, nine. 

Elen Rivas

Frank started dating Spanish model Elen in 2002, shorting after she moved to the UK to pursue her career. She juggled jobs as a waitress and had a stint in the cloakroom at the famous London nightclub Chinawhite.

She met Frank while working at the Wellington Club in Knightsbridge, when the footballer was playing for Chelsea.

Shortly before the 2006 World Cup, the couple welcomed their first child – daughter Luna, 17. They also share daughter Isla, 15.

During Elen’s 2007 pregnancy with Isla, Frank was accused of cheating on his fiancée. The couple split in late 2008 by what Elen called ‘mutual agreement’.

Elen is the founder of The Body Clinic, a London skincare specialist which offers ‘aesthetic device treatments’.

Frank meanwhile shares two young children with his wife, Loose Women star Christine Lampard, who he married in 2015.

Michaela Henderson-Thynne 

Middlesbrough player Stewart Downing’s wife dated Michaela from 2003 to 2007 – meaning she was amid the glam squad in Baden-Baden in 2006.

During their relationship she starred in ITV2 reality show Wags Boutique in which two tears of WAGs ran two rival fashion boutiques.

Despite the success of the first series in 2007 peaking at almost 2m viewers , second series plans were scrapped after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

Speaking about her experiences to the Guardian that year, Michaela said, when asked if ‘shopping a defining characteristic of being a WAG’: ‘Only because people think that you spend a lot of your boyfriend’s money, so they expect you to have loads of designer clothes.’ 

‘There are some girls I know from Middlesbrough who don’t like shopping at all,’ she added.

‘Stewart was always pretty good when we were together. I like M&S, but usually I just go to Morrisons… I’m a high street girl. I love Topshop and H&M.’

She has largely stayed out of the spotlight since without a public social media presence. 

Toni Poole

Childhood sweethearts John Terry and Toni Poole started dating at school. Speaking to the Sun about their relationship, Toni said John was earning just £48 as a Chelsea apprenticeship when they first met.

‘We hit it off straight away and I thought he was very nice. I had no idea he was a footballer to start with until I began seeing him on the TV,’ she shared.

‘We started going out for dinners. I would always pay because he didn’t have much money. He would come and pick me up in his tiny, blue ­Citroën Saxo. It was a simple life.’

They married at Blenheim Palace in June 2007 and in May 2006 Toni gave birth to twins Georgie John and Summer Rose.

Toni is a professional dressage rider after taking up the sport in 2008 at the height of John’s career and his cheating scandal, which saw him have an affair with model Vanessa Perroncel, the ex of his former teammate Wayne Bridge. 

Although she’d ridden horses as a child, Toni only decided to take it up again in 2008 and took lessons from former Olympic rider and 16 times British champion Vicki Thompson.

In 2010 she represented England in the sport.  

Lisa Roughead

Lisa Roughead and Michael Carrick have been married since 2007 and are still going strong. They are childhood sweethearts after meeting at school in Wallsend. 

After leaving school Lisa, 44, went on to qualify as a Pilates instructor and also holds a degree in business. 

The couple share two children – daughter, Louise, and son, Jacey and currently live in Middlesbrough after Michael tool on the job of head coach of the EFL Championship club in 2022.  

Rebecca Robinson

Rebecca, who was 24 at the time of the 2006 World Cup, was married to England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, 46. 

The couple tied the knot in 2004 after beginning their romance at school in Yorkshire. 

They split just a few months after their wedding, only to reconcile in 2005 – in what was dubbed ‘the best save of Paul’s life’. They went on to have two children together – Lucy-May, 21, and Jack, 17.

It’s not known if the couple are still together. Paul now mainly works in the media for Sky Sports and beIN Sports and in 2020 it was reported he was studying for his UEFA coaching badges.

In 2017, he announced his retirement from football. 

Amanda Salmon

She was having the time of her life as a 2006 WAG – but the Amanda James found love with former England goalkeeper David James amid a turbulent time in his life.

The athlete had built up crippling debts after breaking up with his wife Tanya in 2005 and was in 2014 said to have blown his £20million fortune – which came from his football wages, endorsements and modelling contracts for companies such as Armani.

David had written a column for The Observer and has always donated his fee to charity. He also owned a house in Dubai at the time of a credit crisis, which was part of his seven-strong property portfolio. He has also worked as a pundit for BT Sport. 

James split up with his ex-wife to rekindle a relationship with childhood sweetheart Amanda Salmon. He was forced to pay Tanya £3m as part of the divorce settlement.

His PR team have refused to comment about the bankruptcy.

According to HELLO!, James and Amanda got married and moved to Devon together but eventually split up some time after 2009. 

She has not been in the public sphere since. 

Emma Hadfield

Emma Hadfield, 45, and Gary Neville, 50, who live in central Manchester, have been married since 2007 and share two daughters – Molly, 16, and Sophie, 15. 

They first met in 2004 when Emma was working as a shop assistant. They married in a lavish ceremony at Manchester Cathedral three years later. 

Emma worked as a holistic therapy student in the early days of her relationship with Gary. 

While her husband, a former Manchester United star, has continued to make more than £1m a year for his punditry work for SkySports, Emma has kept a low profile as a philanthropist up until recently.

In 2023, Emma revealed after her ‘lonely and scary’ journey through early menopause at 41 she has trained as a specialist coach and has launched an online community which has over 7k Instagram followers.

The mother of two qualified as a counsellor in 2019 and has volunteered at Bury Cancer Support Centre for over four years.

Over the summer, Gary and Emma packed on the PDA as they lived it up at Newcastle Festival, sharing a sweet kiss while watching The Reytons perform on stage.

Gary cut a laid-back figure for the outing, donning a dark grey denim jacket over a graphic print T-shirt, teamed with faded blue jeans and brown suede Chelsea boots. 

Meanwhile, Emma looked effortlessly chic in a black leather jacket layered over a black lace semi-sheer top. 

She showed off her tanned and toned pins in light-blue denim shorts, finishing off her look with black lace-up boots and a black Yves Saint Laurent cross-body bag. 

Vanessa Perroncel

Once the girlfriend of Chelsea star Wayne Bridge, French lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel found herself at the centre of the glitzy WAG scene.

But this all came to a crashing halt in 2009 when it was alleged she’d had an affair with Wayne’s England teammate John Terry, with the fallout sending shockwaves through the world of sport.

While Vanessa denied the claims, she split from Wayne shortly afterwards and soon retreated from the limelight, keeping a low-profile while they continued to co-parent their son Jaydon, now 18. 

Yet earlier this year, nearly two decades on from the scandal, Vanessa found herself at the forefront again after rapper KSI used a press conference to mock Wayne with taunts about the affair, crudely jibing: ‘Aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex?’

Wayne, who had been due to take part in a boxing match with KSI,  abruptly pulled out of the scheduled clash, saying that KSI had ‘crossed a line’ and that his ‘priority’ was ‘protecting the other families involved’ in the scandal. 

Vanessa has not commented on the scandal outright, yet shared a cryptic post on Instagram in the aftermath that read: ‘The smallest minds often come with the biggest mouths.’

It was a rare post for the model, who last posted on her grid in 2021. 

Her page is adorned with glamorous selfies, bikini-clad posts and gushing tributes to the son she shares with Wayne. 

Posts are captioned with motivational quotes, informing her followers to ‘Keep your chin up so the crown doesn’t slip’ and ‘It is less about what the eye sees, and more about what the mind thinks…’ among others. 

In November, she marked son Jaydon’s birthday, sharing a sweet now and then picture that she captioned: ‘Happiest of birthdays to the love of my life, my son, my best friend.

‘The big 18 today! Time has flown by so fast, I love you to infinity. I’m so proud of you and so honoured you chose me to be your mum.

‘May all your dreams come true. To many many more years of adventures and laughter. Shine bright my love.’ 

Wayne did not mark the milestone on social media. 

His wife Frankie Bridge – with whom he shares sons Parker, 11, and Carter, eight, previously explained why they chose to keep Jaydon out of the limelight. 

When asked in an Instagram Q&A if she was a stepmother, Frankie replied: ‘True. I am indeed. It’s not something I talk about much as him and his mum aren’t in the same industry as us.

‘So I keep that part of our life private. I’ve also never really chosen to be called a step parent. He has his parents, I’m just a bonus family! Ha.’

While Wayne married The Saturdays singer Frankie in 2014, it is not known if Vanessa is in a relationship. 

Louise Owen

She was just 25 at the height of the WAG’s Baden-Baden reign in 2006 – but now 44, Louise has celebrated decades of marriage with player Michael Owen.

The footballer married his primary school sweetheart Louise in 2005 and the couple share four children Gemma, 22, Emily, 17, James, 19, and Jessica 15. 

Michael met his wife Louise when they both attended Hawarden High School  together in Flintshire Wales. 

The couple then went on to tie the knot in 2005, after they got engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2004, with the wedding taking place at their family home. 

However, their relationship has not always been smooth sailing, as their marriage was allegedly under strain in 2021 when the Mirror claimed that the former striker had been sexting former Big Brother contestant Rebecca James. 

Neither Michael nor Louise publicly commented on the allegations at the time. 

It comes before Michael revealed in his autobiography Reboot: My Life, My Time that he had sought therapy to deal with jealous urges.

‘For years, because of my own inner demons, I was intentionally really hard on Louise about subjects that I knew would push her buttons most – not least her close relationship with our daughter Gemma,’ he wrote.

‘Let me be very clear and say that none of this was in any way a reflection on how I felt about either Gemma or Louise. I love them both with all of me.’

‘I’d take everything out on Louise, though. I’d accuse her of spending all her time with her eldest and ignoring the other kids. It wasn’t even true.’

Rebecca Ellison

After a lifetime of stunning with her striking looks and supporting sports star Rio Ferdinand on and off pitch, Rebecca Ellison died from cancer aged just 34, in 2015. 

‘My soul mate slipped away last night. Rebecca, my wonderful wife, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London,’ Rio said on QPR’s website.

‘She was a fantastic loving mother to our three beautiful children. She will be missed as a wife, sister, aunt, daughter and granddaughter. She will live on in our memory, as a guide and inspiration.

‘Myself, my parents Janice and Julian, along with Rebecca’s parents Lesley and Stephen, would like to thank our families, friends and my club colleagues who have rallied around in these desperate days, weeks and months.

‘I would also like to express my gratitude for the dedication and expertise of the staff led by Professors Johnstone and Clarke at the Royal Marsden. Their valiant efforts to prolong Rebecca’s all-too-short life will not be forgotten.

‘Our grief, as a family, is total. We would appreciate being allowed to mourn privately.’

Rebecca, who married Rio in 2009, left behind three children with the QPR defender – Lorenz, Tate and Tia.

A QPR spokesperson said: ‘The thoughts of everyone at Queens Park Rangers Football Club are with Rio and his family at this immensely difficult time.’ 

Theresa Lartey

While he is now wed to interior designer Fiona Barratt, in 2006, centre-back Sol Campbell was linked to Theresa Lartey, then 27, an estate agent.

Not much has been known about her since the pair’s eventual split sometime shortly after, however, despite the couple’s on-off history. 

According to the Mirror, the pair were first linked in 2002 and stayed friendly after a brief fling. 

‘He’s had tricky stages in his personal life and his career and Theresa has been there for him,’ a source told the outlet.

‘She has been a rock to him and they have become closer and closer in recent weeks and are now dating again.’

Nicola Carragher

Now more known as an analyst than a player, Jamie Carragher has been with his childhood sweetheart Nicola since 2005 – and the pair have two children together, daughter Mia, 21, and son James, 22.

An avid runner, she often posts on her athletic achievements on Instagram, having completed all seven world major marathons in under 12 months.

‘When our daughter Mia moved to New York to study acting, I found myself dealing with a bit of anxiety. I wouldn’t normally describe myself as an anxious person, but having her so far away was a big adjustment,’ she told YM Liverpool in August.

‘At the time, I wasn’t really prioritising my own wellbeing, which made it harder to manage. I’ve never wanted anyone to think I couldn’t cope or that I was struggling. I remember a friend asked, “What’s up with you? You’re never like this”. Eventually, I opened up and admitted I wasn’t coping well – and it was such a relief. Letting go of that pressure to have it all together all the time, to not be this perfect version of myself, felt freeing.

‘Not long before Mia came home, I signed up for a 10-week weight loss challenge – mainly to help me refocus and get back into a fitness routine. What began as a short-term goal turned into a full year of really committing to change.

‘I’ve always loved running – I was a runner in junior school – and I’d always dreamed of doing a marathon. As I grew fitter and stronger, I started to think, “It’s now or never”.’

The former Liverpool defender was suspended by Sky Sports in March 2018 after being caught on camera spitting out of his car window at a man who was taunting him about Manchester United’s victory over his old side.

The spit also hit the man’s 14-year-old daughter, who was in the passenger seat, leading to widespread criticism of Carragher’s behaviour and calls for him to be sacked from his punditry role.  

He publicly apologised on Sky News and was reinstated by Sky after reaching out to Andy Hughes, the man involved in the incident, and his teenage daughter.

Revisiting the incident in a candid podcast interview with Alistair Campbell, the ex-Downing Street press secretary, and his daughter Grace, a comedian and activist, Carragher admitted he only got through the aftermath thanks to his wife Nicola.

He said: ‘I spoke to the guy involved a couple of days later and I think they regretted it, the whole thing, they started getting a bit of abuse when it was in the press.

‘The thing that absolutely kills me is the bit about his daughter, and this thing that I spat at a girl, it just kills me.

‘I didn’t see who was in the passenger seat and I just lost my head.

‘As soon as I got home I told my wife, I knew straight away, I just thought oh my god, my wife was unbelievable for me.

‘A guy was trying to get a funny video of me, and it’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time.’

Janelle Khouri

Footballer turned pundit Owen Hargreaves, 44, was linked to a Janelle Khouri – then 25 – in 2006.

Very little is known about her to this day, but according to the Sun she was a footballer who played on the Canadian women’s national team and was even reportedly engaged to Owen before their split.

It is understood they met while on a sports scholarship to the University of Massachusetts.

Sarah Thornton 

Another glam 2006 WAG who has since disappeared off the radar is Sarah Thornton – who was at the time linked to player Wayne Bridge.

‘When Sarah Thornton was snapped with her boyfriend Wayne Bridge in Marbella last year, fans noted the defender was clearly as much a dark horse off the pitch as he is on it,’ the Independent wrote at the time.