England footballer Lucy Bronze is competing in this year's Euros as she and the team seek to defend the trophy that they won back in 2022. While the squad had a disappointing start to the tournament, they have since rallied around and face Italy in tonight's semi-finals.
Amid the exciting tournament, HELLO! is taking a look at how the Northumberland-born star manages to juggle her career alongside dating and family life. The 33-year-old defender ranks among the world's best right-backs and is arguably one of the most experienced members of the Lionesses squad.
Since making her debut in 2013, Lucy has enjoyed tremendous success on the pitch with notable highlights including her performances at the 2015 and 2019 World Cup competitions.
Her childhood
Hailing from Berwick-upon-Tweed, Lucy often credits her parents and immediate family as fundamental in propelling her career. Lucy, whose full name reads as Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze, was brought up bilingual thanks to her Portuguese father,yo Joaquim, and her English mother, Diane.
© GettySpeaking to The Guardian, Lucy said: "Dad used to speak to us in Portuguese, but we always replied in English. That's probably why I'm not very comfortable speaking Portuguese."
Encouraged by her older brother, Jorge, Lucy was exposed to football from a very young age. Her mother bought Lucy her first pair of football boots when the youngster was ten years old. In her last year of primary school, Lucy played football as the only girl in a team of boys.
When her football coach told Lucy that she would have to leave the team for fear of injuring herself in a mixed team, the football pro recalls how her stalwart mother said: "Right. No one is telling my little girl that she can't do something."
Lucy's incredibly close bond with her mother is clear to see. The 30-year-old sporting pro regularly shares snaps of her doting mum on Instagram, and only last year, Lucy paid tribute to her "number 1 fan since day one", with a pair of heart-warming photographs.
Bond with nephew and niece
The Lioness also enjoys a rewarding relationship with her older brother, Jorge. Judging by her social media, Lucy seems to relish spending time with her nephew, Freddie, five, and niece, Alzira, three. When Alzira marked her first birthday, the Lioness shared the most touching tribute, writing: "This little [lion] is turning one today" followed by a red heart emoji.
© InstagramSpeaking to the Mirror about their bond, Lucy joked: "Freddie thinks that Aunty Lucy's house is a stadium. He actually says that. I think they just think it's super normal to go on four week holidays to football matches and have your dad scream at 22 women running around the field. I think they just think that's really normal."
Relationships
Whilst Lucy is incredibly open about her family, the Lioness keeps much of her romantic life under wraps. It's believed that she's dating Spanish footballer Ona Batlle. The pair haven't officially gone public, but they have shared sweet snaps together, including one last month from a holiday before the tournament.
© Getty Images,The footballer opted to only say: "Few days of sun," while Ona responded with a heart-eyed face emoji. And even though the pair are rivals on the field, this doesn't appear to affect their relationship. After Spain defeated England in the 2023 World Cup, Ona was seen comforting her reported partner.
Lucy was previously linked to Manchester City's Keira Walsh. In May 2022, Keira shared a carousel of sun-drenched photos from a girls' trip to LA. Hinting at their relationship, Keira opted to use a sweet photo of the pair posing at the beach. And back in 2019, they appeared to enjoy a romantic trip to Lyon. Alongside a trio of sweet snaps, Keira used the caption: "Days off well spent in Lyon."
Autism and ADHD diagnosis
Lucy was diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) back in 2021, with the athlete choosing to open up about this earlier this year for Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
© The FA via Getty Images"It didn't change anything essentially, but it was a bit of an eye opener," she told the BBC. "I just learned more about myself, understood why in certain situations I saw things differently to other people or acted in a different way to other people.
"Getting to sit down and actually speak through my traits and how it affects me, situations that make me feel good or bad, that was the thing that really clicked in my head and made me feel so much better."
