Annie: ‘This baby will heal us’
After the arrival of their fourth child, insiders say Kyle Walker and Annie Kilner are now hoping to get their troubled marriage back on track
Anew baby brings a fresh start for many families, and that’s exactly what Manchester City footballer Kyle Walker and his estranged wife Annie Kilner are hoping for after the recent arrival of their fourth child, a baby boy.
Annie, 30, gave birth last week, with Kyle holding her hand – three months after the pair announced their marriage had come to an end when Kyle, 33, admitted to fathering a second child with Lauryn Goodman.
But sources now say the couple are hoping that baby number four will breathe fresh life into their marriage.
An insider tells Closer, “For Annie and Kyle, their new baby signifies a new start after a really emotional and horrible time. They now want to put what has happened with the cheating behind them and start this new chapter stronger than ever.
BY HER SIDE
“Kyle has been living away from the family home for the past few months, but in the last week of Annie’s pregnancy he was back by her side. Since they’ve come home from the hospital, it’s been the same – and Kyle is promising Annie that he will never ever do anything to risk losing her or the boys again.
“Living without her was the hardest thing he’s ever done and he will spend the rest of his life trying to make up for what he put her through.”
Annie has previously said it was “love at first sight” when she and Kyle first set eyes on each other in Sheffield when he was 17 and she was 15.
They have gone on to welcome three sons together – Roman, 11, Riaan, seven, and Reign, five – but have been rocked by infidelity claims for years.
In 2019, he and Annie temporarily split when it was alleged he had enjoyed a string of romps with Ex On The Beach star Laura Brown.
It was during this break that Kyle got influencer Lauryn Goodman pregnant for the first time, and she gave birth to their son, Kairo, in February 2020.
WICKED STEPMUM
A bitter row ensued, with Lauryn labelling Annie a “wicked stepmother” who was trying to “eradicate” her son’s existence in a social media post.
But in June 2020, Kyle managed to win Annie back and popped the question at their Cheshire home. The pair married in secret in a small ceremony in November 2021.
They were rocked once again when Lauryn gave birth to a daughter in August 2023. Although Lauryn initially claimed her daughter – whose initials are KW – was fathered by another unnamed footballer,
Kyle confirmed that he was indeed the dad in January, following his split from Annie.
The source tells Closer that while Annie is willing to work on their marriage now the new baby is here, her family are less than ready to forgive Kyle.
The source says, “While she wants to work on the marriage, for her own happiness but also for the boys, the one
shadow hanging over it is her family and how to manage how protective and angry they are.
“Her parents and sister especially were furious with Kyle and have found it really hard hearing Lauryn speak out. Kyle is now begging her family to let him make amends and to accept him back for Annie’s sake, and the sake of the kids.”
The source continues, “He’s reached out to her parents and sister asking for a fresh start, apologising, and promising to never, ever treat Annie or the kids like that again. It’s a tough situation, family drama at this stage would not be good for Annie as she’s already been through so much.”
Annie’s sister Sian touched on the tough time Annie has been through when she hit out at Lauryn on Instagram in January.
She wrote, “You clearly lack empathy but this level of evil is out of control and harms everyone – especially the children.”
Following the birth of Annie’s fourth child, Lauryn took to Instagram herself to post a cryptic quote which read, “Sometimes a perfect family is just a mum and her kids”.
And although it was reported in January that Annie’s dad had warned his daughter not to get back with Kyle, the source says she is now pleading with her family to accept him.
SUPPORT
The source says, “She’s told her family that the only way she can move forward and face up to being back out in the world again is with their support. It’s going to be hard to rebuild the trust with Kyle, but they have told Annie and Kyle they are going to try, because they don’t want to be cut out of her and the boys’ lives either. But they’ve made it very clear they will be watching him like a hawk.
“Kyle and Annie are just focused now on raising their new baby, and rebuilding their relationship. There’s a lot of work to be done, but they’ve vowed to try to make this work, and Annie desperately hopes there aren’t any more bombshells from Lauryn.”
HER PARENTS AND SISTER ESPECIALLY WERE FURIOUS WITH KYLE AND AT LAURYN