📍 Who Are Leah Williamson & Elle Smith
Leah Williamson
- Leah Williamson is a top-tier women’s footballer: a defender (or sometimes midfielder) who plays for Arsenal W.F.C. and captains the national side — England women’s national football team (the “Lionesses”).
- Off the pitch, she has been openly supportive of LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.
Elle Smith
- Elle Smith is an American journalist, model and former pageant winner (she won Miss USA 2021).
- Over the past couple years, Smith and Williamson have been romantically linked: seen together in holidays, outings, and supportive public appearances.
So — as of late 2025 — they are widely regarded as a couple, even though their relationship has not been “announced” with a traditional statement. The evidence comes from repeated, affectionate public appearances and social-media posts.
📸 The Ballon d’Or 2025 Photo: What Happened
- On 24 September 2025, after attending the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris, Leah Williamson posted on Instagram a carousel of images including photos of her with Elle Smith. In those pictures, they are pictured together dressed up for the occasion — holding hands, laughing, sharing affectionate looks.
- Williamson’s caption simply read: “Ballon d’Or. Congratulations to all the winners. In awe of my teammates for club and country.” — not explicitly “outing” her relationship, but the implication was strong given the photos.
- Smith shared her own set of photos from the event with the caption “a night out in Paris,” which included a candid shot of the two — snapping pictures together, holding hands, and even a more relaxed “post-ceremony” image as they left.
- The stylist who worked with them for the event, commenting under Smith’s post, wrote: “7th pic tho… the most gorgeous couple EVER,” with emojis. This further signalled that the outing was being presented as a couple event.
Because this was a high-profile, public event (attended by global media, football world figures, fans), and the image was shared on a high-follower public account — many see this as their “hard launch”: the moment when their relationship moved from rumours and speculation into a publicly acknowledged partnership.
🕰 Their Journey: From Rumours to Public Acknowledgement
This Ballon d’Or moment didn’t come out of the blue. Their relationship has been visible for months — with gradually increasing openness and public appearances. Here’s a short timeline of how things unfolded:
- Early 2024 — Rumours linking Williamson and Smith began to emerge, largely based on social-media posts and fans speculating. Smith posted a birthday tribute to Williamson, captioned “happy birthday my love x,” alongside a video of the pair together, which many interpreted as an early “soft launch.”
- June 2025 — The pair holidayed together in Majorca. They were photographed paddle-boarding, relaxing, and sharing intimate moments; posts from both sides implied closeness and companionship, and conversations in the comments suggested holiday traditions together (e.g. Smith’s “same time next year?” post, Williamson’s reply “Yes please x”).
- Summer 2025 (Euro / Club Season) — As Williamson returned to action after breaks/competitions, Smith was reportedly present at games, cheering her on; photos from trophy celebrations surfaced in which Smith was alongside Williamson.
- Late September 2025 — Ballon d’Or 2025 — Their joint appearance at the awards night, followed by Instagram photos, served as the clearest — and most public — acknowledgement of their relationship to date.
In other words: what began as rumours and subtle hints — holiday photos, affectionate captions, shared appearances — seems to have culminated in a deliberate and public confirmation at one of football’s most visible nights.
🌟 Why the Ballon d’Or Moment Matters
This isn’t just a “celebrity couple reveal.” The visibility of Williamson + Smith at Ballon d’Or — and the way they presented themselves — carries significance on multiple levels:
— Representation & LGBTQ+ Visibility in Women’s Football
- Williamson has long been recognized not only for her athletic excellence but also for advocacy. Her public “coming out” (she has expressed support for queer visibility) already made her an important figure.
- By bringing a partner to a major global football awards night — and posting photos openly — she helps normalize queer relationships in professional sport. That matters for younger fans, for closeted players, and for the broader message of inclusion. Multiple outlets covering the event described it as a “power-couple era moment.”
— Challenging Traditional Norms in Women’s Football Media Coverage
- Women’s football has too often been under-scrutinized in terms of personal lives; but when it is, relationships — if mentioned — are often heteronormative, speculative or sensational. A moment like this pushes the coverage toward honest representation, normalizing same-sex relationships in athletic contexts.
- As a national-team captain and high-profile athlete, Williamson’s openness can set a precedent: showing that being a top-level player and being open about identity and relationships are not mutually exclusive.
— Inspiring Conversations Around Identity, Confidence, and Openness
- For many fans (especially LGBTQ+), this could offer visibility and hope. It becomes more than gossip — it becomes a form of representation.
- It can encourage honesty and authenticity among athletes: letting people know that off-pitch life — identity, relationships, love — is valid and worth celebrating publicly.
🔎 What Is Confirmed — And What Remains Private
What seems confirmed:
- Williamson and Smith are publicly appearing together. The Ballon d’Or photos mark a visible acknowledgement of their relationship.
- They’ve shared numerous moments together: holidays, celebrations, casual days out. Their social-media interactions (holiday snaps, affectionate captions, joint posts) strongly suggest an ongoing romantic relationship.
- Their presence together at key events (titles, tournaments, awards) — not just private moments — suggests a level of seriousness and stability.
What remains unconfirmed (in public):
- Neither has posted an explicit “this is my partner/spouse” statement. Their relationship hasn’t been “officially announced” via a formal press release — but instead, “confirmed” through implication and visibility.
- There’s no public indication of engagement or marriage (as of the latest reports). What we have is a public “coming-out” of sorts as a couple via shared photos and event appearances, rather than a traditional engagement or relationship announcement.
In short: they may be private about labels, but the consistency and openness of their appearances makes their relationship — in the eyes of many — effectively public.
🌐 Broader Significance: What This Could Mean for Women’s Football and LGBTQ+ Representation
This moment isn’t just a chapter in celebrity gossip or athlete lifestyle pages — it carries broader cultural and social weight:
- Visibility matters: For many LGBTQ+ fans and aspiring athletes, seeing someone like Williamson — at the top of her sport — share her personal life publicly can be inspiring. It sends a message that being queer and being a top athlete are not mutually exclusive.
- Normalizing queer relationships: When mainstream sports coverage treats a same-sex couple analogous to any other couple — at a red-carpet event, holiday, or competitive celebration — it helps shift societal perceptions and reduces stigma.
- Encouraging authenticity in sport: Athletes often feel pressure to keep private lives separate or hidden. Public relationships like this challenge that norm, potentially paving the way for more openness among sports professionals.
- Intersection of sport, sexuality, and media: Women’s football is rising in profile globally. As interest increases, representation and inclusive storytelling become more important. The Williamson–Smith pairing highlights that athletes are more than their performance stats — they have full lives, identities, and relationships.
- Broadening narratives beyond heteronormativity and traditional expectations: Historically, especially in women’s sport, media coverage has often either ignored or sensationalized same-sex relationships. This authentic, stylish, and matter-of-fact presentation helps break that mold.
🎯 What To Watch For Next — What Their Future Might Look Like
Given how publicly they’ve stepped forward, here are some things to look out for (or what might happen next):
- More shared appearances — at matches, public events, social media — which could further solidify the relationship in public perception.
- Potential formal confirmation — maybe a statement or interview, where they speak about their relationship in their own words (though given their preference for privacy, that may or may not happen).
- Use of their platform — since Williamson is influential in sport and supports LGBTQ+ rights, together they might become visible advocates for representation, equality — which could have social impact beyond sport.
- Increased media conversation around queer representation in women’s football — potentially helping shift how fans and media approach relationship coverage and athlete identity.
- Support from fans and the football community — as the reaction to Ballon d’Or photos suggests, many in the community have welcomed their openness; this could grow into broader acceptance and normalization.
📝 Reflections & Why This Matters
When I think about this — Williamson sharing that Ballon d’Or photo with Smith — I see more than a “celebrity reveal.” I see a carefully navigated step: balancing personal privacy with representation and honesty.
For years, many queer athletes have had to hide parts of themselves, or stay ambiguous about relationships. But Williamson has always been open about supporting LGBTQ+ rights. This emergence seems intentional: not a scandalous reveal, but a confident expression — on her own terms, and in a space that matters.
In that sense, this moment can be seen as a quiet act of defiance and authenticity. It says — “Yes, I’m who I am. And yes — this is real.”
For young fans, queer footballers, or anyone struggling with visibility and identity: that matters.
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