EXCLUSIVEFrom humble beginnings, Ollie Watkins and Ellie Alderson's love story: He was 'not exactly Ronaldo', now they're set to complete a fairytale journey to Euros glory
You got your moment and you took it!!!!! I am soooo proud of you,' wrote Ellie Alderson shortly after she watched her boyfriend score the most important goal of his life.
Her Instagram post, which accompanied a picture of herself with Ollie Watkins after England's sensational win against the Netherlands, was followed by four red heart emojis — one each for the pair of them and their two young children.
It appeared after millions of football fans watching the game on television were treated to the sweet moment when Ollie and Ellie were reunited following his winning goal.
Berkshire-born interior designer Ellie, who is half-Greek, has been a regular fixture in the stands throughout the Euros.
She cut a suitably WAG-like figure in an outfit consisting of a replica England shirt, white jeans, a £6,000 white Chanel bag and matching white £1,500 Chanel sandals.
Ollie Watkins and Ellie Alderson, 28, with their children: two-year-old daughter Amara and one-year-old son Marley
Ellie's Instagram post which she captioned with four red heart emojis following England's sensational win against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi final on Wednesday
A young Ollie at the start of his footballing career playing for Buckland Athletic at just six years of age
Ellie was also wearing a necklace bearing his initials, OW, an accessory that she has worn at every game so far.
She would often fiddle with it during games as if it was some sort of good luck charm. If so, it's unlikely that even Ellie thought it would ever bring her boyfriend of six years quite as much luck as it did.
Both were said to be stunned by his winning strike and the instant fame it has brought him — because it was an experience neither could have thought possible when, both in their early twenties, they met on a night out in London in 2018.
At the time, Ollie was playing for Championship team Brentford having completed a transfer from Exeter City where he had played since he was a teenager. For them, friends say, it was love at first sight.
One told the Mail: 'Ollie was a footballer but not exactly Ronaldo. He was playing for Brentford who, at the time, were not in the Premier League. He had not long left Devon where he was born and it was his first time living in London.
'They fell for one another straight away and quickly moved in together. While it's not quite a rags-to-riches story, Ellie was with Ollie at a time when he wasn't anywhere near being England's golden boy.'
Ollie was born in Torquay and began playing football with Buckland Athletic at just six years of age.
And it's fair to say that Ellie, 28, who grew up in Newbury, has been with Ollie since the beginning of his 'journey'.
Ellie was at his side when he signed for Premier League side Aston Villa in 2020 for a then club record fee of £28 million. As she wrote on social media at the time: 'Proud is an understatement!!! And it's not over!' How right she was. Friends say she barely misses a game.
The necklace Ellie was wearing bearing Ollie's initials, OW - an accessory she has worn at every game so far
Ollie is now worth £50 million and top clubs, including his beloved Arsenal, are knocking at his door
Berkshire-born interior designer Ellie (left), who is half-Greek, has been a regular fixture in the stands throughout the Euros
Watkins is now worth £50 million and top clubs, including his beloved Arsenal, are knocking at his door.
Ellie has wasted no time in embracing the WAG lifestyle and today she and Ollie live together in a £3 million mansion close to the upmarket Birmingham suburb of Solihull.
They have a two-year-old daughter named Amara and a son called Marley who turned one in April, and Ellie regularly offers insights into their lavish lifestyles to her 30,000 Instagram followers.
Her social media posts reveal that their sprawling home includes her vast dressing room where pride of place goes to her collection of designer handbags, featuring a range of Chanel numbers in differing colours.
She also loves designer labels. Her favourite is Loewe, but she can also be seen in Tom Ford and recently splashed out on a Gucci blanket for her son's buggy. Ellie has a taste for expensive jewellery, including a £5,000 necklace by French house Van Cleef & Arpels.
Like many WAGs, Ellie loves to holiday in some of the world's most exclusive locations, from Paris to the Maldives, Dubai and Ibiza, which they describe as their 'favourite island'. They are also partial to a yacht cruise and one of their first holidays together was to the Greek island of Mykonos.
Ellie's best friend is a fellow WAG — though not an A-lister. She is Hattie Bourn, the wife of former Barnsley, Derby County and Swansea City footballer Korey Smith. Ellie has a twin sister named Sofia and a brother Ben, who is a YouTube star and an author of fantasy fiction.
Another woman who can be thanked for Watkins' success is his mother, Delsi-May Watkins, who watched Wednesday's game from the stands alongside his girlfriend.
Earlier this week, footage emerged of her in a Dortmund pub passionately imploring the England boss to give her son some playing time. 'On Wednesday, [my wish is] that they finally let my son come on the f***ing pitch,' she told a group of England fans. Ellie mischievously reposted the clip yesterday in the aftermath of England's win.
Delsi-may Watkins has been a professional singer since she was 18, performing on cruise ships, theatres, holiday parks, clubs and hotels.
She was in a band called Up 4 Grabs for ten years and was once a member of The Divas, a four-girl group, which was tipped for the top in the early 1990s.
They appeared on Des O'Connor's Pot Of Gold talent show but their dream ended in tragedy when two of the girls were killed in a car crash. In an interview with The Times, Ms Watkins spoke about juggling her job with her role as a soccer mum.
'I had to bomb it over to school, bring them back, get them something to eat, get them in the car, bomb it over to Exeter during rush hour, then make sure I got back in time for me to get to work,' she said. 'Sometimes I was working locally, sometimes I wasn't.
'Oliver is a man of very few words. We've got a family group chat, and he never brags or anything, we literally have to draw everything out of him. He's so humble and I love that about him. He's quite nonchalant about the fact that he's doing something he loves. I'm immensely proud.'
So what next for Ellie and Ollie? Friends of the couple say they hope the pair will soon walk down the aisle.
