A former US sports radio host has revealed how a ‘frosty’ Meghan Markle once rejected his advances, even though she thought the Duchess of Sussex was ‘reachable’.
Ryen Russillo, 49, explained how he met Markle while playing in a celebrity football game during Super Bowl weekend in New York a decade ago.
The event featured a star-studded lineup with former NFL players, celebrities and several Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, including Chrissy Teigen and Nina Agdal, all participating.
It also came just three months before the fourth season premiere of Markle’s legal drama ‘Suits’ and two years before she started dating Prince Harry.
Russillo revealed how he asked Markle if she wanted to appear on his ESPN radio show to promote the new series, but the offer was not well received.
Speaking on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’, hHe said: ‘We played in a celebrity flag football game together and there were all the swimsuit models. So, no one was really paying attention to Markle.
Meghan Markle (pictured in 2014) rejected former ESPN radio host Ryen Russillo, claims
It was at this flag football event where Markle’s friendship with Serena Williams blossomed.
“I thought, ‘That’s my path. She’s probably doubting herself a little right now. “It’s never been more available.”
Russillo says he followed up with Markle after the event and sent her a message on social media.
“It was a very soft sell,” he continued. “It was, ‘Hey, I know the new season of Suits is about to premiere, if you ever want to come on the show to promote it.'” It was really professional.
‘It was like a measurement of interest. For example, if you got an emoji back, who knows?
Markle finally responded, but it wasn’t the response Russillo expected.
“It was very cold,” he says. “It was, ‘Oh, I don’t know anything about sports, but thanks for the offer.’
While Markle shut down Russillo in that Super Bowl, the event turned out to be the beginning of her friendship with tennis icon Serena Williams.
The pair have been close friends since 2014 after having their first ‘real meeting’ at the DirecTV Beach Bowl, although they crossed paths briefly in 2010 at the Super Bowl.
Russillo said he invited the Duchess of Sussex to his radio show to promote a new series of Suits
The event is said to have occurred in 2014, two years before she began dating Prince Harry.
Meghan wrote on her now-defunct blog The Tig: “We hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing during the football game we were both playing, and chatting not about tennis or acting, but about all things old-fashioned girly.” . “This is how our friendship began.”
The Duchess of Sussex has now swapped American football for the more glamorous life of polo and her new Netflix series about the sport premiered on Tuesday.
The five-episode series follows the glittering lives of polo stars as they compete in the US Open, alongside handsome athletes and their glamorous partners.
At the show, Meghan cut an elegant figure in an $812 (£650) dress, a $3,400 (£2,650) Maison Valentino bag, and added pieces of jewelery worth thousands of pounds.
He had hoped the latest installment of his $100 million deal with Netflix would make the sport “more accessible,” according to executive producer and showrunner Miloš Balać.
The activity of horse riding is often known as the “sport of kings” because it is highly prized by royalty, including Harry himself, while practicing this expensive pastime costs tens of thousands of pounds and is far from accessible to a person of average income. .