LAURA WOODS and Adam Collard have enjoyed a whirlwind romance – and are now expecting their first child together.
The sports presenter and former Love Island hunk went public with their relationship in October.
Since then they have been seen in scores of loved-up posts and been through their share of challenges.
However, everything came to a head recently as they announced the wonderful news that Laura, 37, is expecting a baby.
The TV presenter and award-winning journalist shared a picture of an ultrasound on Instagram, complete with her French bulldog peeking over the top.
They have largely kept their relationship out of the public eye, which for notorious ladies’ man Adam, 28, seems to suggest he has turned a corner in his romantic life.
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Adam spilled the beans on how he pulled Laura following a string of dates including at the Black Bull pub in Trimdon, Co Durham, and heading off for a weekend away in St Ives in early October before going public later that month.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun in October, he revealed he had wooed her with a series of flirty social media messages before wining and dining her on an “undercover date”.
He said: “The first time we met – I’ll hold my hands up – I did DM her first and got a reply but then nothing ever happened. Then she called us out for basically leaving her on read.
“It’s hard to meet people, isn’t it? I’m from Newcastle and eventually we met up, and then went on a very undercover date, and obviously what comes out in the press, comes out in the press, but it’s not always the full story.
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“I’m kind of glad in a way as well, as I feel like there’s an element of having to hide too much now.”
Laura’s charm seemed to rub off on Adam almost instantly, as he also suggested he felt he might have found “The One”.
By Christmas, Laura’s parents had also given the seal of approval for their relationship as he spent the holidays with her, joking that “luckily they don’t read many papers”.
Yet even before that, Laura and Adam enjoyed a romantic getaway to Amsterdam, Holland, which saw them checking out a rude restaurant, enjoying a trip down the city canal’s and relaxing in a spa.
Adam claims to have had 25 girlfriends in the past, yet the “influence of stability” – as relationship expert Jo Hemmings puts it – Laura gives off has been the cornerstone of their blossoming romance.
While the pair have continued to be front and centre in their respective careers, with Laura a fan favourite on ITV and TNT Sports, they have also made time for each other.
When they aren’t grafting, they have often been seen enjoying one another’s company on holiday.
Following their trip to Amsterdam, their next getaway in February saw them skiiing on the famous French Alps, though Laura revealed it resulted in a few “near-death experiences”.
In March, during the international break, the pair changed lanes by jetting off together for some sun and sea at Tulum Beach in Mexico.
Adam and Laura shared a number of snaps from the holiday, including one of Laura planting a kiss on Adam’s cheek while they were at a restaurant before also revealing what their favourite food was following a date night at Checkpoint Ciao.
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Personal trainer Adam Collard, 28, has been dating Euro 2024 presenter Laura Woods, 36, since 2023.
The former loverat has called her “The One,” spent Christmas with her – the first time he’s done so with a girlfriend since he was 21 – and kept their relationship relatively out of the limelight, seemingly on Laura’s wishes.
It’s a far cry from the man who admits himself he’s been “ruthless” in the past, claims to have had 25 girlfriends, and spent many years partying and juggling flings with girls including Zara McDermott and Lottie Moss.
Relationship expert Jo Hemmings says: “He’s now 28, he’s a professional with a job, and I think he just went off the whole idea of ever realistically meeting somebody on a TV show.
“He’s now met somebody who is also a professional, and is only on TV as a byproduct of what she does in sport.
“He’s got himself in a comfortable place. Financially, he’s older, he’s more mature, he’s more settled.
“He once played into this roguish character that people saw him as, and became a parody of himself. But look who’s laughing now.
“He’s got a fabulous girlfriend, they’re in a long term relationship, he’s well off, he’s still in the public eye, and he’s getting on with his life in the way that I think he always wanted.”
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The following month, Laura shared a selfie from the Tulum trip featuring Adam with the caption: “Things I love.”
However, in May as the hectic English football season drew to a close, Laura suffered an horrorendous facial injury.
Laura had been due to present TNT Sports’ coverage of Tyson Fury’s undisputed heavyweight title fight with Oleksandry Usyk before she was forced to pull out after revealing she had accidentally smashed a glass lampshade while on holiday with Adam.
She explained how the smash had caused it to shatter before it cut her face and arm, leaving her with some nasty injuries around her eye.
Unfortunately, the freak accident was used by vile trolls as a way to bash Adam by suggesting he was involved, before he snapped back: “Shut up you stupid c*** and read her Instagram post.”
Laura described Adam as her “hero” that day as she hailed him for “acting so quickly and not leaving my side since and to his family for taking care of me in a time when I was petrified”.
After some time being seen with a bandage around the effected area, Laura was back on TV in time for ITV’s coverage of the Euros.
In early July, Adam posted a loved-up pic of the pair to celebrate Laura’s birthday, captioning the post: “Happy birthday you rockstar x.”
And fast forward a couple of weeks and they have shared the news that they are expecting a baby.
The post was simply captioned: “Hey, baby,” followed by some love heart emojis.
However, some eagled-eyed fans had noticed some telltale signs that gave away the news days prior.
Recent social media posts by Laura had not showed her stomach, while a post from Adam saw a note reading: “Just remember 5 years ago, you dreamed about where you are now”, which may have been another clue.
Fans also noticed a brief social media hiatus from them in the days prior to the announcement.
Adam has made no secret of his desire to have kids, but declared he would not be plastering them all over social media.
He previously said: “I’m protective, whether it’s Laura, or my family, my friends. I want to get married. I want to have kids as well.
“I’ve always thought, what type of person will I be? How can I protect my kids?
“Obviously I’ve never had a kid, but I don’t think I’ll be plastering it all over [social media].
“I want them to have a fair fight and a chance not to be judged straight away.
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“As long as my really close circle knows exactly who I am, I don’t care. I think you have to take everything with a pinch of salt.”
Laura will carry on working over the next few weeks as TNT Sports broadcast the Paris Olympics.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
