BY: DM
Published 2 hours ago
Soccer star Mary Earps just soft-launched her partner. Ahead of her new memoir, “All In,” the former England goalkeeper confirmed she’s in a happy relationship with a woman named Kitty.
Earps ranks as one of the defining goalkeepers of her generation. She won the Golden Glove at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, earned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2023, and received an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours, according to The Guardian. She left Manchester United in 2024 and signed a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain. In 2025, Earps retired from England duty shortly before the Euros.
Earps says she’s now giving more space to her personal life. She revealed that she is dating Kitty, and says the two are “very happy” together.
Mary Earps Is Speaking About Her Personal Life for the First Time
Amid the rollout of her memoir, Earps is getting real about her dating endeavors. “I’ve always tried to keep my personal life separate from my professional one, but it would have felt inauthentic not to include something so important to me in this book,” Earps told BBC. “I’m in a really happy relationship. The people closest to me have always known, and I feel ready and happy to share that with everyone else now.”
Earps says she and her partner, Kitty, live together in Paris, where she currently plays club football. She credits Kitty as a steadying force through career turbulence. “She tells me the unadulterated truth. She’s a great person to have in my corner,” Earps told The Guardian.
The reveal surprised fans because Earps is famously private about her life off the field. Through England’s Euro 2022 win and the 2023 World Cup run, she kept her personal life completely out of the spotlight. Early coverage of her memoir makes it clear this is one of the first times she has spoken openly about her sexuality and a relationship.
Mary Earps Joins a Growing List of out Women’s Football Stars
Earps isn’t alone. Women’s soccer has a long list of out lesbian stars who live authentically and still dominate on the pitch. Megan Rapinoe has been out for years, and her relationship with Sue Bird has been public since 2017. Denmark’s Pernille Harder and Sweden’s Magdalena Eriksson have been partners since 2014. They are longtime equality advocates and remain one of soccer’s most recognizable power couples. Brazil’s Marta and U.S. player Toni Deion Pressley also contributed to that growing visibility when they announced their engagement in 2021.
Outsports counted at least 17 publicly out participants at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, 40 in 2019 and a record 94 to 96 in 2023 after the tournament expanded to 32 teams. The rise reflects increased acceptance, from locker rooms to brands to fans. Media coverage also shows the shift. Time reported that women’s soccer now offers unusually visible queer role models, even as some worry that commercial pressures could test that openness as the sport’s audience grows.
Do you think more athletes should share their personal stories, or keep their private lives private? Comment below!
