From self-starting entrepreneurs to fiendishly canny, fortune-making influencers, is this new breed of glamorous Wag the savviest we’ve ever seen?
Back in the days of Baden-Baden, at the 2006 World Cup, the image conjured up by the word Wag was of a woman teetering around on Jimmy Choos with her footballer boyfriend’s Amex card in hand.
But the Wags heading to Germany for the Euros are a far shrewder bunch, and include a multimillionaire in her own right, plus an A-lister catwalk model. So, here is the all-new Wag-ipedia of 2024…
THE LOVE ISLAND STAR
Dani Dyer, 27, girlfriend of Jarrod Bowen
With her own £5.8 million fortune, cheery cockney Dani certainly doesn’t have to rely on her footballer boyfriend’s money. Dani, the daughter of EastEnders star Danny Dyer, has come a long way from her days as a barmaid in Loughton.
Thanks to a star turn on the 2018 series of Love Island, which she won, and the brand deals in its wake, the mother of three — of son Santiago, three, and one-year-old twin girls Summer and Star — has had huge success.
With her own £5.8 million fortune, cheery cockney Dani certainly doesn’t have to rely on her footballer boyfriend’s money (pictured: Dani with Jarrod Bowen in London in 2022)
Dani (pictured, in 2019), the daughter of EastEnders star Danny Dyer, has come a long way from her days as a barmaid in Loughton
From endearing podcasts with her father to creating her own range of baby products — black leopard print pram anyone? — not to mention sponsorship deals with Surf laundry products, and even being a CBeebies ambassador, Dani has successfully tapped into the lucrative Millennial mum market.
She and West Ham star Jarrod, 27, are rumoured to be marrying this summer, an event sure to be documented online for Dani’s 3.7million Instagram followers.
THE MODEL DAUGHTER
Iris Law, 23, girlfriend of Trent Alexander-Arnold
Daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, and with Kate Moss for a godmother, it’s fair to say the exquisitely beautiful Iris comes from a pedigree quite unlike your typical Wag.
Friends with everyone from Donatella Versace to the late Vivienne Westwood, privately educated Iris later studied textiles at Central St Martins before becoming a model for Versace, Burberry and Jimmy Choo.
Iris began dating Liverpool ace Trent (pictured, with Iris for a Guess Jeans campaign), 25, in April and has been seen with him at upmarket Cipriani restaurant in Monte Carlo
Friends say she has ‘brains as well as beauty’ and regularly goes to family friend Stella McCartney for career advice (pictured: Iris at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March)
An acting role saw her shave her head for the film Pistol, based on the Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones’s memoir about punk.
Iris began dating Liverpool ace Trent, 25, in April and has been seen with him at upmarket Cipriani restaurant in Monte Carlo.
Friends say she has ‘brains as well as beauty’ and regularly goes to family friend Stella McCartney for career advice.
THE TIKTOK SENSATION
Laura Celia Valk, 25, girlfriend of Jude Bellingham
With her pillowy lips and Rubenesque curves, Dutch beauty Laura is almost impossibly glamorous. She’s astronomically popular on TikTok where her posts — showing her lounging around in revealing corsets in European hotels — attract up to nine million views.
Shrewdly, Laura has translated her social media presence into cold hard cash, with the help of her qualification in creative business from the Amsterdam University of Applied Science.
With her pillowy lips and Rubenesque curves, Dutch beauty Laura is almost impossibly glamorous
She and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham began dating earlier this year
While she’s currently the face of popular fashion brand Pretty Little Thing and models for Guess, more significantly she also owns a media consultancy through which she endorses numerous lucrative brand deals. She and Real Madrid star Jude began dating earlier this year.
THE AIR HOSTESS
Georgina Ramsdale, 28, wife of Aaron Ramsdale
A British Airways flight attendant, Georgina married Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron, 26, in June 2023. She gave birth to their son Ronnie in October that year, and she’s said to still work for BA while posting snaps of her travels to her 31,000 Instagram followers.
She’s also part-owner of activewear brand Gymnetix, which makes gymwear from sustainable materials, and supports Mind, the mental health charity.
It’s clear family means everything to the couple: in August last year Aaron revealed their heartbreak after Georgina had a miscarriage when they flew back from a holiday after the 2022 World Cup.
THE BEAUTICIAN
Olivia Naylor, 33, girlfriend of John Stones
Beautician Olivia has not one but two limited companies to her name: Naylor Laser & Cosmetic Services Ltd and Permanent One Ltd, both used for her expertise in permanent make-up and highly sculpted eyebrows.
She met the Man City star on a night out in Manchester while she was pregnant with her first child by another man. The pair stayed in touch and started dating after she gave birth to her son in 2019. They had a son together in January 2023, but she went back to work ‘as quick as [she] could’, she said, after just three months maternity leave.
Beautician Olivia (pictured, with John Stones last May) has not one but two limited companies to her name
She met the Man City star (pictured, in Germany on June 13) on a night out in Manchester while she was pregnant with her first child by another man
And last year she launched a children’s clothing brand, Moosh, selling £55 jogging bottoms and £100 aviator jackets.
THE PHILANTHROPIST
Kate Kane, 30, wife of Harry Kane
Kate met the England captain when they were children at primary school in Essex. They began dating as teenagers and today have four children.
In Harry’s decade with the England team, Kate has drawn admiration for her poise in the limelight, choosing to leverage her husband’s fame to promote good causes, such as mental health awareness, as well as the Princess of Wales’s campaign on the importance of a child’s early years. Kate also runs Harry’s charity foundation.
Kate (pictured, with Harry Kane in 2019) met the England captain when they were children at primary school in Essex. They began dating as teenagers and today have four children
No doubt her own education — Kate has a degree in sports management from the University of Hertfordshire — contributed to her methodical approach to Harry’s fame, after the family moved to Germany earlier this year when he signed for Bayern Munich.
THE INTERIOR STYLIST
Ellie Alderson, 28, girlfriend of Ollie Watkins
Favouring herringbone flooring, chandeliers and chic grey-toned walls, Ellie — who has been a relationship with Aston Villa striker Ollie for more than five years — has an eye for home decor that would please the most demanding of Wags, and one she has turned into a career, with a diploma in interior design.
Ellie has two children with Ollie: Amara May, two, and one-year-old Marley. She also likes to sell her old designer clothing on shopping app Depop.
THE CAREER GIRL
Tolami Benson, 23, girlfriend of Bukayo Saka
She may be with one of the country’s highest paid footballers, but Tolami is determined to carve out a successful career for herself.
The glamorous PR and marketing executive has kept her relationship with Arsenal star boy Bukayo private since they started dating in 2020.
She may be with one of the country’s highest paid footballers, but Tolami (pictured, with Saka in Qatar in 2022) is determined to carve out a successful career for herself
The glamorous PR and marketing executive (pictured, in 2022) has kept her relationship with Arsenal star boy Bukayo private since they started dating in 2020
Tolami graduated from Birmingham City University in 2022 with a degree in PR and media and last month she joined Zenith, a leading global advertising and marketing agency, as a senior planning executive.
THE INSTA-MUM
Rebecca Cooke, 24, girlfriend of Phil Foden
It’s clear Rebecca has a zany sense of humour: one picture of her with Man City’s Phil shows her standing in a life-size pink box emblazoned with ‘Barbie’, while he is in one labelled ‘Ken’.
Their five-year-old son Ronnie is already a professional model, with an agent and Instagram account with 3.9million followers, managed by his mother.
The couple’s irreverent attitude is no doubt what led them to visit a psychic ahead of the Euros, even offering Ronnie’s followers a discount code for the clairvoyant’s services.
Rebecca was just 18 when she gave birth to Ronnie in January 2019. Daughter True was born in July 2021. They’re expecting their third child later this year.
THE GIFTED DANCER
Aine Kennedy, 27, girlfriend of Conor Gallagher
She’s not shy of admitting she enjoys a good night out — one of her social media posts confessed to a 9am session of Aperol Spritzs at Gatwick Airport. But Aine, who started dating Conor, 24, in 2019, has a solid foundation as a professional dancer, moving to London from her native Cork to pursue her career.
Aine May Kennedy (pictured), who started dating Conor Gallagher, 24, in 2019, has a solid foundation as a professional dancer, moving to London from her native Cork to pursue her career
Aine has 61,000 followers on Instagram, where she documents her travels and the extensive refurbishment of the couple’s home.
THE LIFE AND SOUL
Charlotte Trippier, 32, wife of Kieran Trippier
Fun-loving Charlotte has plenty of character: a fan of the raucous ‘Bongo Bingo’ nights out, where drinks are downed as quickly as bingo balls are called, she insists on shopping at Zara and Asos, not only high-end designers.
She married Newcastle United footballer Kieran in Cyprus in June 2016, six months before the birth of their son. They have since had two daughters.
Charlotte supports the charity SmartWorks, which helps women looking for employment find smart clothes for job interviews. She was also honest about the toll her husband’s past move to Madrid took on the family, which won her many fans.
THE GRADUATE
Tamara Tia Gomez, 27, wife of Joe Gomez
Catford-born Tamara graduated with a degree in business management from Kingston University in 2018.
She met Joe on the Number 75 bus in 2014 as the pair travelled to school.
After swapping numbers, they started dating in November 2018 and he proposed a month later on her 22nd birthday.
They married at the luxurious Coworth Park in Ascot, honeymooning at the Four Seasons Resort in the Seychelles.
Their son, Kyrie, was born in June 2019.
THE ANTI-WAG
Lauren Fryer, 25, girlfriend of Declan Rice
Modest, sweet-natured and publicity shy, Lauren, from Chessington, does not conform to the Wag stereotype.
She and Declan got together aged 17 while at school in south-west London and have a 22-month-old son, Jude.
Modest, sweet-natured and publicity shy, Lauren, from Chessington, does not conform to the Wag stereotype. She and Declan (pictured, in May) got together aged 17 while at school in south-west London and have a 22-month-old son, Jude
Modest, sweet-natured and publicity shy, Lauren (pictured, in Qatar in 2022), from Chessington, does not conform to the Wag stereotype
They are said to be one of the nicest couples in the game. Yet Lauren was subject to a vicious online bullying campaign, as trolls criticised her looks earlier this year, leading her to delete all the photos on her Instagram account. But the one who’ll be relying on the Wag sisterhood more than most this tournament is…
THE WRONGED WIFE
Annie Walker, 31, wife of Kyle Walker
Eyes will be on the stands if Annie, long-suffering wife of serial cheat Kyle, turns up to support him at the Euros. Annie, who has been with the footballer since they were teenagers in Sheffield, has four sons with him. But she was humiliated by him fathering two children with old flame, Lauryn Goodman.
Kyle’s been trying to win Annie back, and recently took her on a £160,000 caravan break in Wales. Popular in the Wag camp, she’s said to have been inundated with messages of support.