Ollie Watkins will be cheered on by his gorgeous wife Ellie as the England striker aims to fire Aston Villa into the Europa League final at Nottingham Forest’s expense
Ollie Watkins is hoping he can help guide Aston Villa to their first European final in 44 years – and cheering him on from the stands will be his gorgeous wife Ellie.
Unai Emery’s Villa have eased their way into the Europa League semi-finals but currently find themselves trailing 1-0 in their tie against fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest. In the first leg at the City Ground, a Chris Wood penalty handed Forest their advantage.
But with the second leg upon us, Villa, led up front by England star Watkins, will have ambitions to erase this deficit and overcome their Midlands rivals at Villa Park to book themselves a spot in the final. The showpiece will be held in Istanbul, with either Braga or Freiburg facing one of the two English teams.
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Supporting Watkins behind the scenes is 29-year-old partner Ellie, whom he has been with since 2018 and married last May. We take a look inside their relationship.
Watkins first set eyes on Ellie eight years ago when he was strutting his stuff in the Championship for Brentford. The two met through mutual friends, as revealed in Amazon Prime’s The New Generation. Ellie said to her husband on the show: “We met through one of my friends who went to school with you. So I knew like about you. But I didn’t know that you were actually good!”
Watkins then added: “We then went on a double date didn’t we? Pizza Express or something. In Newbury. In your Converses and leather jacket.” Ellie replied: “Don’t get me started on your outfit! And then you wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Ellie is a qualified interior designer and graduated with a diploma in her field. She also now sells pre-loved designer clothes online and uploads snaps of her life on Instagram. The couple has been together for almost a decade and welcomed their first child, baby girl Amara May, in 2021. Son Marley was born two years later.
Speaking to The Gentleman’s Journal about his kids, Watkins, 30, said: “It’s given me a different outlook on life. When I come home to them, I’m not thinking about my bad game or anything like that. I’m just thinking about making them happy, doing what I can to be a good dad. They give me the energy I need to go and perform. They’re definitely a big key to my success.”
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In July 2024, during a romantic getaway to Lake Como, Watkins popped the question. He told British Vogue: “It was during the Euros when I started to plan it.
“I was away with the national team and I knew I only had a short period of time. I was trying not to be too organised because I didn’t want to give it away!” Ellie added: “I was like, ‘This is so strange.’ [Ollie] does not organise. He doesn’t even know what day of the week it is half the time.”
Less than one year later, the two tied the knot, holding an elegant ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London before a larger celebration in the south of France in mid-June.
The couple chose three venues for their lavish long weekend wedding, which around 100 friends and family attended: The Grand-Hotel du Cap Ferrat, Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild and Plage de Passable, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
“To be honest with you, I couldn’t hear a word the pastor was saying because I was so focused on my wife and how beautiful she looked,” Ollie admitted, as Ellie said: “I’m a really emotional person and cry over almost anything, but something came over me and I was completely relaxed.”
Ellie was there to support her beau at Euro 2024 and as he walks out at Villa Park with eyes on the Europa League final, she’ll no doubt have his back once again.