Portugal’s captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, had a romantic relationship with a well-known soap opera actress during his time with Manchester United. The esteemed 41-year-old footballer, regarded as one of the top players globally, aims to lead his national team to the World Cup quarter-finals against Spain at The Dallas Stadium on Monday evening.
Apart from his athletic achievements, Ronaldo is now engaged to former Gucci sales assistant Georgina Rodriguez, whom he met in 2016. Before settling down, Ronaldo was romantically linked to Gemma Atkinson, a prominent Hollyoaks actress.
Gemma, who portrayed Lisa Hunter on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks for four years before departing in 2005, later appeared on ITV’s Emmerdale from 2015 to 2017. Reports indicate that Gemma and Al-Nassr striker Ronaldo were an item in 2007 during his initial tenure at Manchester United.
In an interview with Hits Radio Manchester, Gemma disclosed that their dates were low-key despite Ronaldo’s fame, involving tea sessions at her residence while watching Only Fools And Horses. She also mentioned rejecting lucrative offers to speak about their relationship after they parted ways.
Currently, Gemma is happily engaged to professional dancer Gorka Márquez, whom she met on Strictly in 2017. The couple, engaged since Valentine’s Day 2021, shares two children, Mia and Thiago.
In contrast, Ronaldo and Georgina have been engaged since August 2025 and have six children together. His eldest son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., was born in the United States in June 2010. Additionally, Ronaldo fathered twins via a surrogate mother in 2017 and welcomed daughter Alana later that year.
Tragically, the couple lost their son, Angel, shortly after birth in 2022 but named their daughter Bella Esmeralda in his honor. Georgina, originally from Argentina and raised in Spain, has achieved fame as a model, dancer, and businesswoman, starring in her successful Netflix docu-series “I Am Georgina.”
With an extensive social media following, Georgina boasts over 74 million Instagram followers, while Ronaldo remains the most followed person on the platform with 671 million followers.