Rumors circulating within the MMA community about UFC welterweight star Ian Garry and his relationship with his wife, Layla Anna-Lee, have generated increased attention lately. The situation escalated when Garry, reacting to remarks made by UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland about his spouse, hinted at taking legal action.
Interestingly, Garry’s wife has become the focus of fan attention, partly due to her book titled ‘How to Be a WAG,’ causing speculation about her reasons for marrying an athlete. This contentious issue has sparked extensive conversations within the MMA community.
Now, an old interview with the broadcaster has been going viral, where she is narrating a story about a popular soccer star sliding in her DMs. This incident is almost a decade old, as Anna-Lee was covering the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014. However, the situation was more tricky for her than it sounds, as then, her ex-husband, Richard Cullen, who was engaged to Layla at the time, was handling her Instagram account.
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“I interviewed a Barcelona player (whose name) we won’t mention he was young at the time he wasn’t playing in the World Cup,” said Layla Anna-Lee on the Boys Don’t Cry podcast. “Who does he find on Instagram? Me! And the message that he wrote in Portuguese my husband had to google translate. The message that he wrote was you know: So, what time am I meeting you?” she added.
Layla Anna-Lee then had a tough time explaining to her fiancé at that time that it was uncalled for what the soccer player did, and she had nothing to do with it. “I ended up just saying look I work in football you scroll down those DMs, it is really bad,” she warned her ex-husband.
When did Layla Anna-Lee meet Richard Cullen?
Before her marriage, Layla Machado Garry was recognized as a British television presenter under the name Layla Anna-Lee. Her ex-husband, Richard Cullen, crossed paths with Anna-Lee around 2013, joining her team as a co-creator and co-writer.
In 2014, the couple tied the knot and welcomed a baby boy named Lucas on September 29, 2015. However, shortly after their son’s birth, they amicably separated. Despite the personal split, Cullen continues to play a crucial role in her professional life.
Richard Cullen became part of Team Future Group MMA in July 2021, serving as a performance nutritionist for undefeated welterweight fighter Ian Garry. He also holds a degree in business and politics from Kingston University.