In what has been called the celebrity showdown of the year, influencer Lauryn Goodman’s four-year feud with England ace Kyle Walker reached fever pitch last week, when the former lovers were locked in an explosive court battle.
But while Celebs Go Dating star Lauryn, 33 – who brought the case against Kyle in the hope he would be forced to give in to a staggering list of financial demands for their one-year-old daughter Kinara – the England vice captain’s legal team accused Lauryn of using him as an “open chequebook” to feed her “insatiable greed”. The judge later ruled heavily in Kyle’s favour, complimenting him for acting with “dignity”, “generosity” and “honesty”.
Judge Hess called Lauryn – who also shares son Kairo, four, with Kyle – an “unreliable” witness, dismissing many of her demands. These included a £30,000 car allowance and driving lessons for Kinara’s nanny; a £33,000 air conditioning unit; a £31,200 astro turf pitch for their daughter, who Lauren called a “future Lioness”; and £500 a month for hot-tub maintenance, which she claimed was for the children. In a scathing assessment of her character, the judge described Lauryn as having grossly “exaggerated her need to spend money”.
While Kyle, 34, and Lauryn’s toxic feud has seen the pair battle it out publicly – including Lauryn dropping hints on social media about her daughter’s paternity and Kyle’s recent newspaper tell-all – his wife Annie Kilner has kept a dignified silence.
Now, a source tells heat, Kyle’s long-suffering partner – who is mum to his sons Roman, 12, Riaan, eight, Reign, six, and three-month-old Rezon – finally feels “vindicated” by the verdict.
Our insider says, “With this ruling, Annie feels people can finally see the nightmare that Lauryn has put them through these past few years. Hopefully, she’ll now be gone from their lives and they can move on without fear of repercussions. For the last few years, they’ve felt completely powerless in the face of Lauryn’s increasingly demanding behaviour, but now everyone knows the truth.”
The nightmare first began to unfold for Annie in April 2019, when she separated from Kyle following allegations that he had sex with Ex On The Beach star Laura Brown in the back of his £200,000 Bentley. At the time, a furious Annie, who has been with Kyle since she was 16, kicked him out of their £3.5million Cheshire home, but the couple were spotted on holiday in June before reconciling shortly after.
But, in February the following year, Annie was hit by another bombshell when Lauryn revealed on social media that Kyle was the father of then-unborn son Kairo. The pair had reportedly known each other for years and had a brief fling before Kyle reunited with Annie. Defending her revelation, Lauryn claimed her pregnancy had been subject to “rumours and gossip” and that she had gone public to stop speculation.
She added, “Kyle Walker and I are expecting a baby in April, and it was conceived during a period we had both split from our previous partners. This will be the last time I comment on it and I will only be sharing the positive journey going forward.”
Attempting to put the past firmly behind them, Annie and Kyle secretly married in November 2021. Yet as last week’s damning court exposé revealed, Annie’s world was once again torn apart in December 2023, when – six months pregnant with Rezon – she received a text from Lauryn revealing Kyle was also the father of her four-month-old daughter.
Sent just days after Christmas, the message read, “Hey it’s Lauryn. I just wanted to quickly tell you that Kyle is the father of our daughter” – a move Lauryn claimed in court was to try to “sort things out”. The pair had reportedly met to discuss arrangements for Kairo, with one thing leading to another.
The text followed a series of clues Lauryn had already left on social media, including revealing her daughter’s initials and a picture of her wearing a Babygro with the caption “I’m a lion”. She also liked several comments from fans who questioned if Kyle was the father.
Lauryn was also accused of having befriended Kyle and Annie’s neighbour, known as Jasmine, who Kyle’s legal team claim was asked to spy on the couple by recording them in their garden. “Wait until they argue. Get some letters together. Finish them,” Lauryn is revealed to have messaged her.
The conditions for Lauryn keeping the paternity of “KiKi” a secret were revealed – with Kyle revealing how he had been “forced” into purchasing Lauryn her £2.4million Sussex home.
Our insider says, “Annie has been the victim of some crazy mind games from Lauryn. She felt like she was been losing her mind at times. Because of the court case, she couldn’t talk about it, so she had no one to turn to and people just believed it was all about payback for Kyle cheating or that she was just a ‘doormat’. But the judge’s comments show Lauryn was hell-bent on destroying their marriage. Annie’s head is still spinning – it’s been a lot to go through.”
Following Lauryn’s revelation Kyle was the father of her daughter, he offered a grovelling public apology to Annie, calling her his “soul mate”. He said, “I made idiot choices and idiot decisions. I can’t begin to think or imagine what Annie is going through. I’ve tried to ask her, but there’s pain and hurt. There have been days in this ordeal where I’ve just wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep.”
After spending time apart, Kyle moved back into the family home in May, but the source says that facing Lauryn in court has finally lifted the shadow the couple feel they have been living under.
We’re told, “Kyle and Annie were trying to rebuild their lives, but the demands kept coming in. It was always, ‘Give me money, give me money’. Even when Annie was in hospital having the baby, Lauryn didn’t let up. Kyle was determined to face Lauryn in court, because he knew the truth would come out. Annie felt really vulnerable, but Kyle was so strong and focused, even though it was all going on during the Euros.”
The recent European Championships presented their own challenges. While Kyle and Annie put on a united front, with her and the children flying out to support him, Lauryn was also in Germany with Kairo for England’s match against Denmark. Security were prepped to keep her away from Annie, and Kyle completely ignored her, but Lauryn still chose to dress Kairo in an England shirt with the word “Daddy” on the back – the exact same shirt worn by his siblings.
Now, our source says, Kyle and Annie are determined to start a new chapter. We’re told, “As far they’re concerned, it’s over – they’ve made it clear that Lauryn is never to contact them or any of their family again. There have been days when Annie was so frustrated she felt like she could explode. It all felt so unfair and too much to deal with and she wanted to just lock herself away.”
The source adds, “But she’s been so proud of Kyle and how much he’s fought for her. Now, she wants to rebuild their marriage.”