Inside Gary Lineker’s first marriage to Michelle Cockayne that ended in divorce amid ‘cheating’ rumours
Gary Lineker and his first wife Michelle Cockayne have reunited at their son Harry’s wedding in Ibiza, nearly two decades after their acrimonious divorce.
The former couple appeared relaxed in each other’s company as they watched their second eldest son marry fiancée Annabelle.
The ex-Match of the Day presenter, who left the BBC in May following an antisemitism row, looked dapper in a beige linen suit matching his sons’ attire. Michelle was equally glamorous in a striking blue maxi dress.
Their cordial reunion marks a remarkable transformation from their bitter 2006 split.
The divorce proceedings had cited Gary’s “unreasonable behaviour”, with Michelle fleeing their luxury Berkshire home with their young sons.
The couple’s romance began when Gary was an 18-year-old rising star for Leicester City and Michelle was a 14-year-old schoolgirl.
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Gary recalled: “There wasn’t one particular moment when we suddenly became a couple but I do remember asking her out for our first proper date to a restaurant when she was 17 and it just went on from there.”
Their 1986 wedding at St Mary’s Church in Knighton, Leicester, saw them mobbed by hundreds of fans.
Police had to force back a crowd of over 300, with Gary saying: “We were surprised so many turned up.”
The marriage produced four sons: George, 34, Harry, 31, Tobias, 29, and Angus, 26.
Their family life faced its darkest moment in 1991 when baby George developed acute myeloid leukaemia at just eight weeks old.
George was given a survival rate of just “10 to 20 per cent”, as Gary revealed to The Athletic’s podcast in 2022.
“I’ll never forget that first night. I was with Michelle and they did all these tests and stuff,” he said.
“At the end of the night they gave us some sort of evaluation of prospects and they said it’s not good.”
After seven months of chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital, George survived and thrived. Yet by the early 2000s, cracks had appeared in the marriage.
Rumours of Gary’s infidelity swirled, including reports of “steamy” comments with a mystery woman.
The footballer was later linked with 23-year-old model Kate Hallam and wealthy Denise Moore, who was photographed sunbathing topless alongside him in Barbados.
In April 2006, their divorce reached the High Court. Michelle told District Judge Caroline Reid that the former England star had caused her “stress and anxiety”, leading to a quick divorce that dissolved their 20-year marriage in just 70 seconds.
Gary didn’t contest the reasons listed in the divorce papers. He later admitted: “I was probably keener on her then than she was on me and I’m probably keener now.”
READ MORE: Gary Lineker, 64, reunites with first wife Michelle at son’s Ibiza wedding
Following the split, Gary married model and actress Danielle Bux in 2009, though they divorced in 2016 reportedly over differing views on expanding their family.
He was later spotted with visual artist Leila Bartell in November last year.
Michelle, now 59, hasn’t remarried since their divorce. She’s regularly seen enjoying holidays in Barbados, where she once shared a home with Gary.
Gary has since reflected positively on his past relationships. In 2021, he told The Times: “Two really good marriages, I’m friends with both. Danielle’s kind of my best mate, so I have that female connection with her.”
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Earlier this year on The Rest Is Football podcast, he insisted: “I’m so happy on my own.
“I’ve been married most of my adult life and I’m quite set in my ways and comfortable on my own now.”
The Ibiza wedding reunion suggests Gary and Michelle have indeed found peace after their tumultuous split.