There was a fight over astroturf, a skirmish over the babysitter’s car, accusations over a doorbell… and now, perhaps inevitably, there’s a fight over Christmas presents.
Or to be more precise, the lack of.
At some point, influencer Lauryn Goodman, who this summer told the court she had substantial debts and just £10,000 in funds, appears to be on the attack because her ex-lover, married footballer Kyle Walker, did not send gifts or a card this year to the two children they have together.
“Leaving them with nothing to open for another year is really sad,” a source told another newspaper. ‘All their mutual friends have talked to Kyle. They feel really upset for the kids and for Lauryn, who always tries to do right by her kids. They hoped Kyle would put aside their differences for the sake of the children.
Last year he didn’t send anything either. In fact, I understand that he only once gave his son Kairo a gift, and that was a coat suggested by Lauryn a long time ago.
Lauryn Goodman enjoys Christmas with her two children in sweet photo posted online
As for the kids’ “trying to do the right thing,” we’ll see that Kyle’s explanation is that he’s doing just that by staying away.
For now, the media war continues. Lauryn, wearing apparently new £1,340 Louis Vuitton boots, was out on Monday with four-year-old Kairo and 18-month-old Kinara, and the three were caught by a passing photographer.
Some time earlier he had posted an exchange with a ‘fan’ on Instagram that said: ‘Did that even try to buy the kids (a gift) for Christmas or even a card or make the ball and chain (Kyle’s wife Walker, Annie ) not allow…’. She replied, “You said it.”
From this it can be deduced that spirits are still running hot between the former lovers.
To briefly recap the scandal: Kyle, 34, fathered Kairo with Lauryn, 33, in 2020, even though he already had three children with his childhood sweetheart, Annie Kilner, also 33. In 2021, he and Annie were married; However, the affair with Lauryn apparently continued. at least briefly, and in August 2023 his second child with her, Kinara, was born.
Meanwhile, his fourth child with Annie, baby Rezon, was born in 2024.
Annie found out about Kinara’s paternity through a brutal text message from Lauryn on December 27, 2023: ‘Hi, I’m Lauryn. I just wanted to quickly tell you that Kyle is the father of our daughter. Annie was pregnant at the time.
Kyle Walker, Annie Kilner and three of their four children during the 2023 World Cup
Lauryn is said to be “completely livid” about Christmas, about her level of contact with Kyle, about being labeled a gold digger by the judge who determined her child support over the summer, and about the way she is portrayed in the press. She already hired and fired a PR.
She is also said to be baffled because, despite what has emerged about Kyle’s affair, he is still married to Annie.
That marriage remains on shaky ground, but the divorce Annie filed over the summer remains on hold, sources say, as they try to see if they can move on from everything that happened. The fact is that Kyle and Annie live together (she let him move back in September) and spent Christmas together.
“He spent Christmas with his family and lives there at home with them,” says a well-placed friend. “He and Annie are not well, of course, because of what’s happened, but he lives there.”
In fact, it has been suggested that they could end up having a “financial divorce”, in which they divide assets and determine maintenance, but continue to live together and try to rebuild their relationship.
You might be wondering why Kyle doesn’t extend some kind of olive branch to Lauryn, who has rehearsed her hurt feelings in TV and newspaper interviews, on Celebs Go Dating and on her eight-part podcast.
She was particularly shaken after a court hearing to determine Kinara’s support in July. Although she left with £12,500 a month, plus the £2.4 million house she bought in Sussex for herself and her children to live in, she was hurt by the judge’s observation that she had been treating the footballer, valued at 27 million pounds, like an ‘open chequebook’.
It was during this hearing that a list of Lauryn’s demands of Kyle emerged, including the installation of a £32,000 astroturf pitch at the Sussex home and a new £30,000 car for the nanny.
The judge also said Lauryn, who had been heard to have previously been prosecuted for benefit fraud, was “often difficult, unreasonable and demanding.”
In a statement after the sentencing, a spokeswoman for Kyle said: “This sentence speaks for itself in laying bare Lauryn Goodman’s insatiable greed and relentless pursuit of money. The judge made it clear: She used Kyle as a checkbook. opened checks and repeatedly threatened him to get what he wanted. He then orchestrated a media campaign to encourage an intolerable and improper intrusion into the private lives of Kyle, Annie and their young family.
Walker with Kairo, his son with Mrs. Goodman, more than a year ago. It is said that she has not seen him or her youngest son since
Those feelings – of betrayal and media manipulation – have not disappeared. A source told me that Kyle feels the ‘Grinch’ Christmas stories are just another example of Lauryn being publicity-hungry and attacking him.
“It seems like Lauryn is relentless in getting this story out into the open,” a source said. ‘There was even a story about his doorbell not working last month.
“He seems to be trying to use Kyle and the family to stay relevant. Kyle and Annie would love for things to calm down.
“He feels he can’t send gifts or Christmas wishes because he fears Lauryn will use any contact to promote herself in the media.
‘Kyle’s children are kept out of the media spotlight for their own privacy, he doesn’t want them to be dragged into it.
‘He wants to protect his family, Annie and his children. Kyle also doesn’t want to be the hook that throws the kids with Lauryn to the media. And he wants to protect his relationship with Annie.
The source added: ‘He has never sent them Christmas or birthday gifts. He saw Kairo a little, but that was when he was trying to appease Lauryn in hopes that she wouldn’t go public about Kinara. He hasn’t seen him in a year.
‘He is not in contact with Lauryn. She would like to be in contact with him. If there is a problem with the property then there is a property manager that she deals with. You need to deal with your attorney if there is anything to do with children or family matters.
Lauryn Now Reportedly Seeking Opportunities as a ‘Mom Blogger’
‘A number of firewalls have been put in place to try to protect Kyle from contact and pressure so that he can move forward peacefully. But it seems as if Lauryn is never going to move on, she keeps trying to make contact.’
There are no signs of things getting better for the footballer in 2025. Lauryn is looking for opportunities as a ‘mum blogger’ and was reportedly disappointed she wasn’t asked to take part in more reality TV shows after Celebs Go Dating.
A source said: “Kyle has no intention of stopping Lauryn from pursuing a career in media if that’s what she wants to do.” But he doesn’t want to be involved in it or have his name used to promote his efforts.
It seems like a faint hope. Kyle has clearly been a fool (and worse) for cheating on his wife.
In an interview just days after the paternity scandal broke, he said: “What I have done is horrible and I take full responsibility.”
But it seems that his purgatory will continue. As revealed during the court hearing, Lauryn previously befriended Kyle’s neighbor and asked her to record them arguing, telling her: ‘Ready to take them down.’
They told me: ‘There was one element that seemed a bit Fatal Attraction to me and it’s not entertainment for the Walkers. “This is their family life and it is extremely important to them.”