Matildas icon Michelle Heyman is engaged to longtime partner Christine Aldridge after five years together.
The retired national player, who was called back to the team in January 2024 after star striker Sam Kerr was injured, announced the happy news. with a tender Instagram post,
Sharing a photo of herself kissing Aldridge’s cheek while showing off her sparkling ring, Heyman captioned the photo with six digits: “6/9/24”
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The official Matildas account quickly reposted the black and white image with the caption, “We love a Tillies engagement. Congratulations to @michelleheyman23 and new fiancée, Christine!”
Fellow Australian soccer players raced to congratulate the newly engaged duo, like Chloe Logarzo who wrote, “Congratulations darls”.
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Sasha Grove, who is a player on Australia’s women’s national under-20 soccer team, reacted to the happy news with a stream of awe-struck comments in all caps.
“SHUT THE FRONT DOOR,” she penned, then made a cheeky reference to the couple’s pet dog Frank.
“IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING. IT’S HAPPENING. FRANK BETTER BE THE RING BEARER OMG.”
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It appears that either Heyman or Aldridge popped the question on Friday September 6, possibly in a coastal location based on the snap the couple shared to announce the news.
Just a few days before announcing the news, Aldridge posted a series of loved-up photos and videos with her now-fiancee in Canberra, where Heyman plays for Canberra United FC in the Australian A-League.
“I’ll go/stay/be everywhere with you. Home is where the (heart) is,” she wrote alongside the post, then joked, “and the (dog).”
Heyman replied in a comment, “You’re my home.”
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An out and proud lesbian, the Matildas player has spoken before about the responsibility she feels to be a good role model for the next generation of LGBTQIA+ Australians.
“Instagram lets me show off my beautiful life as it is, no censorship, just straight love,” she told PopSugar in 2021.
“I think it’s really important to embrace who you are and share that voice with others because it encourages everyone to be a little more open and authentic with the world.”
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