As he dealt with heartbreak following England’s devastating loss to Spain in the Euros final, Kyle Walker was preparing for yet another emotional showdown of his own as he prepared to face ex Lauryn Goodman in court.
The England and Manchester City defender was suited and booted with his wedding ring firmly on as he prepared to face the mother of two of his children – son Kairo, four, and daughter KW, 11 months – at the Royal Courts of Justice in London over a legal battle for childcare and maintenance.
But while Kyle confidently strode into the court through the main entrance, Lauryn kept a low profile by entering through a side door with her head down and covered by a jacket.
And sources tell Closer that Kyle’s wife Annie Kilner is fuming about the case and hoping that all the drama will come to an end soon.
“The court case this week is explosive – and it may ultimately bring an end to all of the drama, fingers crossed,” says our insider. “Kyle gave in to all Lauryn’s demands last time. Now she’s put in a second application to double the maintenance and Kyle and Annie are refusing. He’s asking the court now to consider the hurt she’s causing to his children, his family and the England team and his career by her actions.”
Annie, 31, was in Germany supporting Kyle with their four children – Roman, 11, Riaan, seven, Reign, five, and two-month-old baby Rezon – where the 34-year-old footballer made hand signals for the letter ‘R’ with his hand at the end of each game, in a message to their kids. Lauryn, 33, had jetted out to Germany earlier in the tournament with Kairo to watch his dad play, after claiming that Kyle failed to get tickets for them to attend any of the Euros matches.
“There was no way I wasn’t going to take Kairo to the Euros. This could have been his last chance so I wanted it to be something that Kairo could remember forever,” she said. “We are not here to please other people. It’s about Kairo and what is best for him and what is going to make him happy. I won’t be scapegoated or bullied and made to feel like a villain.”
But the source tells Closer, “Annie can’t believe she had the cheek to say that she’d been disappointed Kyle hadn’t sent her tickets so that Kairo could fly out to the Euros.”
Lauryn also revealed how the little boy was upset when England were knocked out 2-1 by Spain and wanted to speak to his dad. In a video posted on Instagram Stories, captioned “Little man is gutted”, Kairo was heard saying he “didn’t like this” when Lauryn told him that England had lost. “I don’t want them to win, I don’t want Spain to have won. That’s not kind… can’t I call my dad?” he said. Lauryn responded, “Oh bub. Worrying about the players being sad, bless him. He’s got the sweetest soul.”
The model and influencer shared a photo of Kairo playing football in the living room before the match. “Good luck tonight England. Kairo Walker brought his trophy home, let’s hope England can too!” she said. She later shared a photo of her children watching the match wearing their England kits, with “Daddy” and Kyle’s number 2 printed on the back.
“What’s really infuriating for Annie in all of this is that it’s all Kyle’s money that pays for Lauryn’s lifestyle. She’s trapped in a nightmare and wants Lauryn out of her marriage,” the insider reveals.
Lauryn and Kyle had a fling in 2019, while the footballer was on a break from Annie, and she fell pregnant with Kairo. However, teenage sweethearts Kyle and Annie rekindled their romance and married in 2022. A year later, Lauryn fell pregnant with her daughter after getting back in touch with Kyle.
When the news broke about Lauryn’s second pregnancy, Annie – who was also pregnant – broke up with Kyle. The two are thought to now be trying to make their marriage work, despite the paternity drama overshadowing their relationship.
Lauryn is also set to open up about her relationship with Kyle when she appears on Celebs Go Dating, which will air next month.
“Annie can’t believe that Lauryn has gone on a dating reality show and is bringing it all up again,” the source says.
“It’s really hit Annie because of the unfairness of it all. Her marriage has now become so dominated by this. She’s coming to realise how impossible it’s going to be to try to move forward with Kyle because of this. For every step forward they take, they get derailed when the drama happens – because it’s just blow after blow and they can’t seem to escape it.”
The insider adds, “They may have survived the cheating and betrayal, but Annie now feels like they can’t survive the constant onslaught and living in wait of what Lauryn may pull next.
“Kyle is very aware of this. He is desperate to have an end of this so they can just move on with life.”