When Australian-born football player Katrina Gorry flew to Sweden after being recruited by local club Vittsjö, she had no idea that’s where she would meet the love of her life.
But that’s exactly what happened. The Matildas star became close friends with her fellow teammate, Clara Markstedt, which quickly evolved into something more.
Gorry was perfectly happy being single, even choosing to have a baby on her own after going through COVID-19 lockdowns. In August 2021, she gave birth to her daughter, Harper, who was conceived through IVF.
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“I knew that 2021 was kind of my year. I did want to fall pregnant, with or without a partner, so I decided that I would give IVF a go,” she told the ABC.
Read on to find out everything we know about the lovebirds’ relationship.
February 2022: The couple meet after Gorry is recruited to play for Swedish football club Vittsjö. They become friends quickly – Markstedt helps Gorry settle in the new country, finding a place for her and Harper to live.
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May 2022: The soccer stars go on their first date.
Markstedt asks Gorry to be her girlfriend by writing on a shirt worn by Harper: “Will you be my mum’s girlfriend?”
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“The last thing I was coming to Sweden for was to find love,” Katrina told Woman’s Day.
“I think Clara was sending different signals, but I wasn’t picking up on them. I think my mum picked up on it before I did!”
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June 2022: The Matildas play a friendly international match in Portugal, and Markstedt flies to Lisbon to watch the team play.
July 2022: Gorry and Markstedt make their relationship Instagram official. The Aussie shared a cute snap of the two embracing in front of a sunset in the woods, captioned: “Gotland stole my heart.”
Other photos in the carousel show the pair hiking and exploring, plus a cute snap of Markstedt giving baby Harper a ride on her shoulders.
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August 2022: The couple enjoyed the European summer. From July onwards, they become regular fixtures on each others’ Instagram pages.
On August 20, Gorry celebrated her girlfriend’s birthday with a sweet tribute. “Happy birthday,” she captioned a photo of them both. “Thank you for being you and for Loving us like you do. We are the luckiest girls in the world.”
October 2022: Gorry flies back to Australia to play a few matches with the Matildas, and Markstedt joins the trip to cheer from the stands.
A few weeks later, they’re back in Sweden – Markstedt shares a photo of the three of them on a walk, captioning it: “Happiness is sharing life with you two.”
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December 2022: The family of three are back in Australia so that Gorry can play matches with the Brisbane Lions, two whom she is on loan.
The pair share plenty to Instagram, including days at the beach and soaking up the sun from a boat. They also spend some time on a romantic getaway to Hamilton Island.
They spend Christmas in Brisbane, where Gorry grew up.
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March 2023: The couple are separated, as Gorry stays in Australia to play for the Lions, while Markstedt returns to Sweden. They share a cute video from their airport reunion in mid-March.
June 2023: The couple gets engaged while on a weekend trip away to Falkenberg on the Swedish west coast.
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“We had a picnic by the water, played some cards and Clara showed me a video of our past year together,” Gorry told Woman’s Day.
“She wrote me a letter, told me to close my eyes and got down on one knee. It was beautiful.”
”I said no at first because I was in shock and then I said, ‘Of course, yes!'” she said.
The couple haven’t made any firm plans for their wedding, but Gorry says the hope is to tie the knot on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays in 2025.
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July 2023: Gorry flies to Australia with Harper for the FIFA world cup, where she’s playing on the Matildas team.
August 2023: After Gorry converted Australia’s sixth penalty during the quarter-final win over France, she rocked her arms in celebration and pointed to the sky.
The Matildas’ midfielder’s gesture resembled rocking a baby to sleep so many believed the commemoration was a tribute to Gorry’s two-year-old daughter. However, she later revealed the act also honoured another family member.
“My fiancée’s dad passed away a couple of nights ago. So, it was for both of them,” she told the media during a post-match interview, explaining the team’s black armbands during the game.
Markstedt was forced to return to Sweden following the Matildas’ win over Canada, with Gorry admitting it’s been a difficult few days, especially not being able to be there to support her fiancée.