WHEN the black Mercedes people carrier pulled out of the driveway to take Kyle Walker to the airport ahead of a life-changing flight to Italy, talk naturally turned to a fresh start.For those invested in this long-running scandal – and indeed, the uninitiated – that’s certainly how it was framed.As he departed for Italy, it had been hoped this was the fresh start footballing ace Kyle Walker desperately needed – but behind closed doors the atmosphere is anything but positiveCredit: Eamonn and James ClarkeAfter 12 miserable months, the former Manchester City skipper was finally on the cusp of escaping a scandal of his own making – and one that has hooked the country with every one of its twists and turns.But as the car eased through the gates of the family’s sprawling Cheshire mansion, there was little euphoria – and even less optimism – about his move to Italian giants AC Milan.Beneath the murky slate grey skies above Manchester, he left a home devoid of any joy or excitement. In fact, friends tell me he and estranged wife Annie Kilner were in separate rooms and could not even bring themselves to say goodbye to one another.One said: “That’s how strained things are at the moment. It’s as bad as it’s ever been.”He didn’t even sit her down and discuss moving to Italy. He just said ‘I’m going, it’s up to you if you come with me’.”They’re not in a great place and are barely talking. “It’s still unclear if Annie will actually join him permanently in Italy. “Everything is up in the air but, then again, it’s been like this ever since the scandal was exposed.”In the days that followed, Kyle was pictured smiling as he signed for his new club on loan and pulled on the iconic shirt of the Rossoneri.Annie Kilner seen for 1st time since REFUSING to watch Kyle Walker’s AC Milan debut as she steps out without ringIt’s believed Walker and wife Annie are barely on speaking terms, and things are ‘as bad as ever’Credit: BackGridInsiders claim the Man City star didn’t even discuss his move to AC Milan with Annie, and made the decision aloneCredit: GettyA new crisis brewing He even asked for the number 32 – a nod to David Beckham who was the same age when he arrived at the San Siro.Fans mobbed him in the street outside Milan’s Via Dante flagship store as he posed for selfies.But despite the 1,000-mile difference, for all the talk of a fresh start, the drama back home was rumbling on in the background and a new crisis brewing.Instagram influencer Lauryn Goodman, 34, the ex-mistress whom he secretly fathered two children with, was naturally at its core.She wanted to move abroad too (although she floated the Middle East as a possible destination rather than Italy) and hoped to use the proceeds from renting out the £2.4million mansion he bought her in East Sussex to fund it.Annie hit the roof, and who could blame her? Ex-mistress Lauryn Goodman was said to also be eyeing up a move abroad with her kids – an idea Walker quickly put an end toThe social media influencer shares two children with the footballer after a fling, and has been a source of contention for Walker and his understandably upset wifeCredit: social.saviour/Instagram’A big f*** you’ She was also less than pleased after learning he had flown some of his pals out to Milan to join him.Annie had planned to fly out to Italy with their boys – Roman, 12, Riaan, nine, seven-year-old Reign and baby Rezon – to watch Kyle unveiled to an adoring crowd in the San Siro.But she pulled out at the last minute. Another source bluntly said: “She had other plans.”She went out partying to celebrate a pal’s 40th birthday and they all dressed up as stars from the 90s. Annie, her hair in braids, went as pop singer Christina Aguilera (minus the leather chaps, of course).One pal described it as a “big f*** you”.But as the row deepened, Annie also threatened to miss Kyle’s Serie A debut in the 1-1 Milan derby on Sunday .She eventually relented and flew out from Manchester Airport on a private jet.Annie and the boys were photographed arriving in Italy before being reunited with Kyle in the lobby of the five star Melia Milano hotel.Kyle held his toddler son Rezon in his arms and beamed the biggest grin as he waved to fans. The family were later pictured having dinner together. But beneath the surface, ahead of his San Siro bow, all was not well.’They live in a vacuum of volatility’One source said: “For a long time now they have operated in a vacuum of volatility.”They don’t know any other way of living.”That’s how they function. If you look back over the last year they’ve lurched from one crisis to another.”It’s not healthy and everyone around them can see it.”No one, not even those closest to them, want Annie to join him in Italy.”Kyle’s family think the space will do him the world of good, whilst Annie’s family can’t bear what he’s done to her.”They would rather they had a complete break from one another.”If that leads to divorce then so be it, it may be what’s best for everyone involved.”Instead of flying out to Italy, Annie decided to attend a pal’s birthday bashCredit: annievkilner/InstagramAnnie missed Kyle’s Serie A debut in the Milan derby, with the pair said to be barely speakingCredit: GettyCanyon-like chasmThe latest row and its fallout was more proof, if any were needed, that a fresh start was only ever an illusion.Take Christmas, for example. Kyle and Annie smiled for a family photo at the foot of their sweeping staircase wearing matching pyjamas.Again, there was talk of a fresh start: a New Year, a new us.Beyond anyone’s wildest expectations (even his), here he was in the family home – albeit banished to the third floor guest room – enjoying Christmas Day a year after he had turned their lives upside down.”[Annie] wants half of his £27million fortune, nothing less. She thinks she’s earned it, given everything that he’s put her through.An insider But the harmonious snapshot belied the canyon-like chasm opened up by his many affairs, not least with Lauryn – one which widened ever more after Annie served him divorce papers in August last year.At the time, when I broke the news, the couple were said to be found enjoying a quiet night in at their sprawling home in Cheshire, watching TV in the living room and sharing a sofa together (the only thing missing was a roaring fire).Friends scoffed at the idea and insisted the image of them curled up together was yet another careful piece of highly spun choreography to present an image of togetherness. It could not have been further from the truth.The pair have put on a united front for the sake of the kids, but are reportedly at loggerheads away from the camerasCredit: Instagram’She wants half… nothing less’ Two weeks after the Christmas snap was taken, pals say Annie and Kyle were once again sharing a room together, only this time they were across a table from one another in a solicitor’s office to discuss the splitting of assets.A source said: “Lawyers from both sides were there.”An offer was presented to Annie which was far lower than she had expected.”She wants half of his £27million fortune, nothing less. She thinks she’s earned it, given everything that he’s put her through.”And she’s determined to stop any share she is entitled to falling into Lauryn’s hands.”She refused to accept the offer outright. Kyle’s lawyer turned to him and said ‘the only thing left then is divorce’.”Kyle just shrugged his shoulders.”The Sun understands Kyle refused to part with half of his fortune during the round table and instead offered to put her name on his bank accounts.In the days that followed, Kyle sought out Manchester City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, and asked to exit the Etihad after eight glorious years at the top.City boss Pep Guardiola revealed his captain’s bombshell in his post-match press conference after his side hit eight past Salford in the FA Cup third round.He said: “I prefer to play players whose mind is here.”Now in his mind, for many reasons, he would like to explore if he can go to another country to play his last years.”Annie believes, given everything she’s been through, she’s entitled to half Kyle’s fortune – and she doesn’t want to settle for lessCredit: instagram/annievkilner’Pain and emotion’Kyle’s head was, indeed, elsewhere. After a year of headlines and near constant firefighting, he wanted an escape route.He had tried to leave before – when Lauryn fell pregnant with his second child – but his £15million move to Bayern Munich collapsed.In an interview with me this time last year he said: “Did I want to leave City? No, of course I didn’t.”We’re the best team in the world at the minute, but for me it was a chance to get away from England and the media I was going to get.”I was acutely aware the clock was ticking.”I came very close to moving. We were having conversations. The numbers were there. I was going to a great club, a massive club.”But in the end I couldn’t go.”There is pain and emotion at the moment but I can go to the house, pick the kids up, take them to school, I can take my little lad to football.”I can do the normal stuff that makes me feel normal.”This time round he wanted the move and signed a loan deal with AC Milan that will keep him at the iconic San Siro stadium until the end of the season.There is every chance it will be made permanent, too.For the time being Walker is living out of a suitcase and away from his family, but is said to be settling in as best he canCredit: AFP or LicensorsYet another crossroad For the time-being, Kyle is living out of a suitcase (not for the first time) in a five-star Milan hotel and settling into his new surroundings like a duck to water.He has already found a place to live and has picked up a new BMW motor.Those close to him have seen a marked change already. He appears happier and more content, they say.And so, three years after they married at Mottram Hall in Cheshire in a less than romantic union conducted after the school run, they have reached yet another crossroad.But this one has the feel of something altogether more final.Annie’s decision to file for divorce was designed to provoke a reaction. Friends say she never intended or wanted them to split up for good – she just wanted what she thought was rightfully hers. A ‘no-split’ financial divorce.To begin with, it achieved all that she had hoped.Kyle was at home when the doorbell rang and was naturally stunned to find a man standing on the porch nervously waiting to ‘serve’ the papers.The summer had been eventful both on and off the pitch, but this moved it to fever pitch.Timeline of Kyle Walker & Annie Kilner’s relationshipEarly years – Kyle and Annie first meet in Sheffield when she was 15 and he was 17Euro 2016 – Walker caught messaging Playboy model Carla HoweApril 2019 – Annie dumps Kyle after his alleged romps with reality TV star Laura BrownApril 2020 – Kyle allegedly hosts sex party with two escorts during covid-19 lockdownFebruary 2020 – Lauryn Goodman gives birth to Kairo, her son with WalkerNovember 2021 – Walker and Kilner marry in secretMarch 2023 – Lauryn announces her second pregnancySpring 2023 – Kyle allegedly flashes and kisses another woman in a Vodka Revolution bar in CheshireAugust 2023 – Lauryn gives birth to a daughterJanuary 2024 – Annie announces split from Kyle after two years of marriage. It emerges Kyle is the dad of Lauryn’s second child. Kyle begs for forgiveness in exclusive Sun interview. Lauryn brands him a ‘pathological narcissist’October 2024 – Annie files for divorceJanuary 2025 – Kyle moves to Italy alone, with Annie refusing to join him. Villain to victim Defeat to Spain in the Euros final had been closely followed by a thumping court win over Lauryn (the judge referring to her use of Kyle as an ‘open-ended chequebook’ summed up his impression of the influencer).Judge Edward Hess branded her an “unreliable” witness who chose to further her own case rather than tell the truth.He even accused her of cashing in on his betrayal of wife Annie, 31.She knew he was desperate to keep the birth of their one-year-old daughter Kinara Storm a secret and used it as “leverage” to get what she wanted, the judge said.Her demands included £33,000 for air conditioning at her £2.5million seven-bedroom mansion in Sussex, a £22,000 furnishing fund, £70,000 for a Mercedes GLE, to be replaced every three years, and a £30,000 car allowance for a nanny.On top of that she wanted £14,750 a month in child maintenance for both children, £3,900 a month in childcare costs, a bespoke wood and glass baby gate – and even an iron. Kyle secretly hoped the judgement – scathing of his former lover’s long list of demands – would somehow elevate him from villain to victim.But Annie was seething – she had no idea of the vast sums being funnelled to her love rival.Kyle had hoped his court win against Lauryn over child maintenance would help vindicate him, and turn him from ‘villain to victim’Credit: PAAnnie was said to be fuming about the staggering sums of money being paid to the mother of his two other childrenCredit: Social MediaDish best served coldNevertheless, divorce papers were the last thing Kyle was expecting to receive.The long(est)-running soap opera featuring him as the (reluctant) lead man had just delivered a cliff-hanging sting in the tale.Annie had spoken to friends during the summer months – she had been pictured looking stony-faced at the Euros – and had floated the idea.They had holidayed together as a family in Turkey and on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales.But she needed little encouragement to act and so, out of the blue, served the coldest of dishes to her wayward husband.It set in train a series of events that Annie had not planned for or expected and now has no control over.As Kyle embarks on the next chapter of his footballing career alone, one pal summed it up perfectly: “Their best chance of staying together now is being apart.” More
