After filing for divorce in October, it seems Annie Kilner has had a change of heart and is giving things another go with husband Kyle Walker, with reports the couple are relocating to Italy with their four children. And we’re told that the shock move – which comes as the Manchester City footballer is poised to join Inter Milan on a season-long loan later this month – will be the fresh start they both desperately need.
Childhood sweethearts Annie, 33, and Kyle, 34, have had a tumultuous few years, with 2024 perhaps their most difficult to date. It was revealed last January that Kyle was the father of Lauryn Goodman’s daughter Kinara, who was born in June 2023. He also previously fathered son Kairo, now four, with the influencer, 34, when he and Annie briefly split back in 2019. Annie initially kicked Kyle out of their £4million Cheshire mansion, but he moved back in months later – although in a further twist, Annie then filed for divorce, which now seems to be on hold.
‘Annie has decided that her and the boys will be by Kyle’s side as he finishes his career abroad,’ says our source. ‘They're also having their dream home built in between Manchester and Sheffield, which will take a couple of years to complete, so it seems the perfect time for them to go abroad, escape Lauryn, work on their marriage, and start again. Although it will be hard for Annie to leave her friends and family, she feels this is the only way she can fix her relationship with Kyle.’
The couple, who tied the knot in November 2021, have been embroiled in a long-running feud with Kyle’s ex-fling Lauryn. It reached fever pitch in August, when the Celebs Go Dating star took Kyle to court over child maintenance in the hopes he would be forced to give in to a staggering list of financial demands that included a £30,000 car allowance, a £31,200 astro turf pitch for their daughter, and £500 a month for hot tub maintenance. After the judge slammed Lauryn for using Kyle ‘like an open-ended cheque book,’ she has continued to take swipes at the footballer in public.
Now, Kyle wants a clean break once and for all, so much so, he’s willing to move Annie and their four sons – Roman, 12, Riaan, eight, Reign, six, and nine-month-old Rezon – 1000 miles away. Our insider reveals, ‘Kyle had hoped that the court rulings being made public would mean Lauryn would move on and leave them in peace. But it has got progressively worse, and Kyle no longer feels he can be in the same country as her – and Annie feels the same way.’
However, Annie and Kyle aren’t the only ones talking of leaving the UK. Before their move to Italy was revealed, rumours were flying that Kyle was set to transfer to a Saudi team – and it was revealed Lauryn was eyeing up a new life in nearby Dubai. She reportedly even asked Kyle for permission to rent out the home he bought for her to afford her travels. But according to our source, Annie won’t entertain Lauryn moving anywhere near them, saying, ‘They have seen Lauryn has been saying she wants to leave the UK, but without Kyle's help, she'll find it very difficult and there's no way Annie will let that happen.’
The insider adds, ‘Annie wants them to be one big family, and if they can escape Lauryn, then they stand a chance. If they can get through living abroad, they can come back to their dream mansion and finally start enjoying life in England again.
‘They both know Kyle will always financially support his children with Lauryn, and they both feel strong enough to deal with her antics. Kyle is really the one to blame for a lot of this, but Annie has seen he is remorseful and knows that he does love her and the boys, so this move could be the making of them.’