Last December was not the most wonderful time of the year for Annie Kilner. Having forgiven her husband Kyle Walker for his repeated betrayals, she was left blindsided when it was revealed, just two days after Christmas, that he had fathered a second child with influencer Lauryn Goodman.
To make it worse, it was Lauryn who made the revelation, texting Annie to tell her she had proof to show that Kyle was father to her daughter Kinara, now one, in addition to four-year-old Kairo. Annie, who was pregnant at the time, kicked Kyle out, before taking him back after giving birth to their fourth child in April.
A year later, following public mudslinging, court cases, and Annie’s eventual decision to serve Kyle with divorce papers, things are looking very different indeed. But her priority has always been her and Kyle’s children – Roman, 11, Riann, seven, Reign, five, and Rezon, eight months.
So, Annie’s been pulling out all the stops to make this Christmas magical, and – with Kyle still living at their Cheshire mansion for the sake of their sons – she was really hoping for no drama.
But those hopes were threatened after Lauryn appeared to lash out at Kyle again on her podcast Yours Sincerely. Speaking to a therapist who specialises in narcissistic abuse, Lauryn detailed how she was treated by Kyle during their on/off relationship, which first began while he was on a trial separation from Annie in 2019, and resumed when they were back together.
Taking aim at Annie, who she didn’t name, Lauryn said she’d been vilified by both her ex and his partner to make Kyle look like ‘the hero’.
She also argued that things could have been different if Annie and Kyle had handled things better, explaining, ‘I feel like all the adults could have come together and figured it out to reach a resolution for all the children.’
Now, we’re told, Annie is bracing herself for whatever else Lauryn may say. Not only is it casting a shadow on her family’s Christmas, but it’s also doing nothing to help any hopes of a reconciliation with Kyle, despite the footballer’s pleas to give him one last chance.
‘Annie and Kyle will be together this Christmas with their kids, but things are still up in the air,’ says an insider close to the WAG, who filed for divorce in October.
‘Just when they think they are making progress, Lauryn pipes up and causes trouble. Annie can’t believe that Lauryn is speaking about them again, and that Kyle isn’t stopping her. Annie’s Christmas was ruined last year, and she is determined to enjoy this one, but she is terrified Lauryn will try something else to disrupt their lives. It’s going to be tough.’