The Italian WAG with very IRISH ROOTS
Cat Cavelli has tried to find fame on You’re A Star and The Voice and has a daughter with Jude Law – so it’s no wonder midfielder Jorginho’s girlfriend looks so familiar
LAST week’s European Championships final between England and Italy was a tough watch for fans of both countries, ending in the nerveshredding tension of a penalty shoot-out.
For the families of those involved on the pitch, it was even more nervewracking. While some of the England WAGs might be familiar to many of us, there was one WAG in the crowd who should have been even more recognisable — though she was cheering for the other side.
Italian midfielder Jorginho’s girlfriend Catherine Harding posted photos of herself on her Instagram feed, donning an Italian jersey and showcasing her support for the father of her six-monthold child.
Fans of The Voice UK will have done a double-take as they saw her, as she was a contestant on last year’s show.
But Catherine’s bid for stardom goes back much, much further — it’s seven years since she appeared not once, but twice on RTÉ’s You’re A Star. Because although she was born close to Wembley and described herself last week as an ‘English girl supporting Italy’, Catherine has very Irish roots indeed.
Originally from Islington in north London, she moved to Ardcroney, a village in Co Tipperary, in October 2000 and attended Borrisokane Community College, where she dated a Tipperary hurler, Eoin Hogan, who supported her in her bid for stardom.
In 2007 she auditioned for You’re A Star but didn’t get as far as the televised stage of the competition. ‘My nerves let me down then and I didn’t make it to the Helix,’ she said at the time. ‘When I look back now I’m glad that I didn’t get through as I don’t think I was ready and wouldn’t have made the most of the opportunity.’ The talented singer — who also goes by the stage name Cat Cavelli — did make it to the live stages of the music reality show in 2008, giving her her first taste of fame. ‘I was recognised by some people when I got off the Dart at Malahide, that was weird,’ she said at the time. ‘I’ve wanted to be a singer since I was little girl but never thought I’d make it. The best moment was the last night of boot camp — when Brendan [O’Connor] told me I was through, I nearly died of shock. Having to fight for my place made me realise how badly I want this.’
Unfortunately, wanting it was not enough and her performance fell short in a series that was eventually won by Eurovision singer Leanne Moore. Soon after, Catherine moved back to London with her family, including sister, Rebecca, brother Brian, mother Christine and father Brian, to launch her career.
One friend told the Irish Daily Mail at the time: ‘She is a beautiful girl and so talented. Catherine was well known after she appeared on You’re A Star but she didn’t really perform in pubs round here. She wanted more though so I would say that’s why she went back to England, for the opportunities.’
In 2014, Catherine gained the fame she had seemed to crave, but unfortunately it wasn’t for her singing endeavours. Rather, it was announced that the then 23-yearold was expecting a child for then 41-year-old Jude Law — the actor’s
‘She is a beautiful girl and so talented’
fifth child — but the couple had already broken up.
A representative for Jude told a US website: ‘I can confirm that Jude Law and Catherine Harding are expecting a child together in the spring. Whilst they are no longer in a relationship, they are both wholeheartedly committed to raising their child.’
Catherine is believed to have conceived the child while spending six weeks in the Czech Republic with the actor while he was making secret agent movie Spy.
‘They are a close family and I am sure Catherine’s family are going to stand by her and help her look after the baby,’ a neighbour of Catherine’s grandmother told the
Mail at the time. ‘The Hardings are a lovely family — they loved Tipperary but I don’t think they could settle here because they came from London and Catherine wanted to be a singer, so London was the best place for that.
‘She tried over here but it was only when she went to London that she started really getting noticed in the singing world.’
The friend told how her family was ‘private’ and he didn’t believe they would wish to speak about her pregnancy.
After the birth, Catherine revealed that the labour had been painful. ‘I only wanted my mum there, it was a C-section, it was really horrible,’ she said.
When the baby girl, who they named Ada, was a few months old, Catherine talked about how Law was a great father.
‘She looks like Jude massively, she doesn’t look like me,’ she said. ‘Jude is really funny and sweet. I remember last week he came over and he had to change her on the park bench. He cleaned her all up. He takes her out all the time.’
Following her departure from the BBC’s The Voice recently, she spoke of her life as a mum to her daughter Ada, who turned five in May.
‘When I was really young it was my dream to perform and sing, so when I was 18 I moved to London. I packed all my clothes in black bags and got on the bus,’ she said. ‘I had a baby in 2015, she’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.
‘When my daughter was born I stopped doing any kind of music and thought I need to concentrate completely on Ada. Now she’s four and the dream is still there. I put my music and singing to the side for so long and now I’m just feeling, go for it. I just want to show my daughter that you can be whoever you want to be, and be a good role model for her.’
Not only has Catherine moved on in her singing career, it seems she’s moved on in her love life too.
Now 30, she began seeing 29-yearold Chelsea and Italy star Jorginho after he secretly split from his Italian wife Natalia Leteri.
The couple had been together for eight years and they have a daughter Alicia and a son Victor. They married at a lavish ceremony in Brazil in 2017, but their relationship became strained after he joined Chelsea the following year for €65 million.
After the split, he met Catherine and they embarked on a relationship that was largely kept secret. Catherine announced her pregnancy with son Jax in March 2020 but did not reveal that the father was Jorginho.
She wrote: ‘Five years ago on Mother’s Day 2015 my beautiful daughter was born and now in a time of such sadness and pain in the world, when we realise how fragile life can be, I am so grateful to be blessed with the most powerful gift of life.’
Jorginho’s identity was leaked a month later after Catherine left clues on Instagram.
An insider said: ‘Cat fell hard for him and has struggled to keep their romance a secret. She told Jorginho she was pregnant just before her announcement.’
A month before Catherine revealed her pregnancy, she said: ‘I definitely write a lot of love songs, especially last year. I entered into a new relationship and that definitely gave me loads of creativity and inspiration.’
The lyrics of one song go: ‘I know this kind of love can’t leave any traces.’
Since Jax was born last August, Jorginho has been a regular feature on Catherine’s Instagram as they seek to combine their blended family. She’s obviously very much in love, even branding herself a ‘traitor’ for supporting Italy last week alongside a picture of her draped in an Italian flag.
‘This house has turned into an Italian supporting house. Don’t say I don’t love you @jorginhofrello. I’ve turned into a traitor for you,’ she wrote.
Her boyfriend, who was one of Italy’s best players in Euro 2020, appeared to appreciate the gesture, replying: ‘Just a little betrayal for a good reason darling.’
However, having spent so much time in Ireland as a youngster, it’s perhaps not surprising that Catherine was so willing to forego her English allegiance.
In a recent Instagram post, she announced that she was ‘planning to get back on the stage and make something new’, so it’s likely this is not the last we’ve heard of Cat Cavelli.
‘Cat fell hard for him and struggled to keep it a secret’