Former teacher who has turned Ronaldo’s world upside down...
SHE’S the former teacher who has turned the life of the world’s greatest footballer upside down.
Kathryn Mayorga was in hiding yesterday after accusing Portuguese soccer wizard Ronaldo of rape.
The 34-year-old claims the Juventus star attacked her in 2009 then paid her €312,000 to keep quiet about it.
Two of his sponsors have expressed their “concerns” over the claims while 5% has been wiped off the Turin club’s share value.
Ronaldo, 33, denies the claim, saying: “Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything I am and believe in.
“Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.
“My clear conscious [sic] will allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”
Kathryn’s lawyers say she is now suffering from post-traumatic stress.
So how did a girl from a middleclass American family end up shocking the soccer world?
Ms Mayorga was born and raised in Las Vegas, the daughter of firefighter Larry and stay-at-home mum Cheryl – “just simple people”, they said.
She was a girl scout and played softball and soccer. But she also had difficulty concentrating at school and was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Cheryl says her daughter has learning difficulties.
STRUGGLE
Ms Mayorga said: “I did struggle. It’s hard for me to learn in a classroom. I have disabilities and was given extra time. I busted my ass at school and wanted to prove something.”
It paid off because she left University of Nevada with a degree.
By then she had met an Albanian bartender and married him when she was just 18.
Kathryn told German newspaper Der Spiegel: “I was on board with it.”
But the marriage lasted less than a year and she was back with her parents and trying to make money as a model.
She got a job hanging outside bars with other pretty young women – bars such as Rain in the Palms Casino Resort – trying to entice people inside. It was there in June 2009 she met Ronaldo.
He was on holiday with his brother-in-law and cousin ahead of his massive move from Man United to Real Madrid.
Ms Mayorga had been working but said she then went out partying with friends. She claims she hadn’t consumed much alcohol.
In Rain, her friend told her to come to meet someone. Rumours were abound a very famous soccer player was there.
She told Der Speigel she initially didn’t want to join Ronaldo’s table, but he got her a drink and introduced her to his entourage. She says they chatted, he asked her for her number. She gave it and he left.
She added Ronaldo texted her, inviting her and friends to a party in a penthouse at the Palms, where there was a jacuzzi.
The soccer star offered her something to wear and she went to the bathroom to change and, when she was down to her panties, Ronaldo walked in wearing a pair of shorts and exposing his manhood.
She claims the soccer star begged her to perform a sex act on him. She refused but agreed to kiss him.
But Ronaldo “starts to come on to me very strong. And he starts to do stuff and touch and grab me. I pushed him away and kept saying ‘No.’”
“I turned away from him and curled up into a ball. And that’s when he jumped on me.. I said no, no, no, no.
“After he assaulted me, he wouldn’t let me leave again. He was calling me ‘Baby, baby’. He gave me this look. I’m sure he said ‘Sorry’ or ‘Are you hurt?’ It happened so quick. I didn’t really know what happened. I felt like I was actually floating almost. It felt like I wasn’t there. It was out-of-body.
“I thought he had AIDS. So I was like: ‘You have to tell me if I have a disease. Do I have a disease?’ And he’s like, ‘No, no. I’m a professional athlete and I get tested every three months.’”
Hours later she called police but refused to name her alleged attacker. She went to hospital to be examined and was treated for two hours. Three weeks later she made a more complete statement to police. Kathryn’s lawyer