When Swedish footballer Clara Markstedt asked Matildas’ midfielder Katrina Gorry to be her wife, Gorry was so shocked at first that she said no.
Not because she wasn’t head over heels in love with her, of course.
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The pair became engaged in June whilst on a romantic weekend trip to Falkenberg on the Swedish west coast.
But Gorry didn’t know that Markstedt was about to pop the question.
“I said no at first because I was in shock and then I said, ‘Of course, yes!’,” Gorry told Woman’s Day in July.
“We had a picnic by the water, played some cards and Clara showed me a video of our past year together.
“She wrote me a letter, told me to close my eyes and got down on one knee. It was beautiful.”
The pair plans to wed in 2025 on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays.
“We’re going to try to keep it as traditional and beautiful as we can,” Gorry told the outlet.
“A lot of the Matildas have been my family for a long time so they were so excited for me.
“I’d love to have them there.”
The pair met in 2021 when Gorry played with Markstedt for Swedish football team Vittsjö GIK.
They began as friends, with Markstedt helping Gorry find somewhere to live with her young daughter Harper, who she conceived through IVF.
Gorry said she wasn’t looking for love at the time and, at first, “wasn’t picking up” on the signals Markstedt was sending her way.
“I think my mum picked up on it before I did,” she joked.
But friendship blossomed into love and Gorry, Harper and Markstedt have since become a tight-knit, happy unit.
“She was just the person I wanted to be around,” Markstedt said.
“It was obviously a package deal, but I loved them both.
“We became a team from the beginning.”
Harper was born on August 16, 2021, after Gorry realised she wanted to be a mum “with or without a partner,” as she told the ABC last year.
In 2021, she had been on an injury time out and decided to visit an IVF clinic in Norway, where she was playing before joining her Swedish club.
Things started happening a lot faster than she expected.
“I wasn’t due for my period and I actually got it half an hour before I walked into the clinic,” Gorry revealed.
“So I sat down and said: ‘Well, we could start today?’
“I had no reason not to.”
While the rest of her Matildas’ teammates were competing at the Tokyo Olympics, Gorry was back in Australia, pregnant with Harper after her very first try at IVF with a sperm donor.
Three months after having Harper, Gorry was playing for the Brisbane Roar – and was already starting to think ahead to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, the relationship with Markstedt was flourishing.
In June, Gorry posted a photo of the pair together with Harper, captioning the picture: “Life is dreamy with you two.”
Gorry and her daughter also appear regularly on Marsktedt’s own Instagram account.
On Gorry’s recent 31st birthday, Markstedt wrote: “Happy birthday my love … I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to do life with. You truly are my rock through everything. I love you always.”
When Gorry announced the happy news of their engagement, there was a flood of love from her fans and fellow Matildas’ players.
Posting a picture of herself holding Markstedt’s hand and showing off her engagement ring, she wrote: “The best love stories never end. YES.”
“I love this! I’m so happy for you both,” Matildas’ goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold wrote.
“Congrats Mini!” the official Matildas’ account added.
“STOP 😍😍😍 So so so happy for you guys,” wrote vice captain Steph Catley.
“😍😍😍😍 congrats darlins 🥰🥰,” added Matildas forward Caitlin Foord.
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