While the world was captivated by the Wagatha Christie trial, another, more secretive, and even more dramatic WAG war has been quietly unfolding behind closed doors.
This legal saga, cloaked in confidentiality orders, reached its climax just a stone's throw from where Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy battled it out. The case involved England footballer Kyle Walker, who has been embroiled in a four-year legal fight over maintenance support for his two children with influencer Lauryn Goodman.
In January, it emerged that Walker, 34 and married with four children, had fathered a daughter with Goodman, 33, four years after their son together. This revelation led to Walker's wife, Annie Kilner, 32, moving him out of their £3.5 million marital home in Cheshire. Walker, meanwhile, sought refuge in a £20,000-per-month property nearby as he fought to save his marriage.
The details of this legal drama have, until now, been shrouded in secrecy. But this week, following legal submissions, including those made by the Daily Mail, reporting restrictions were lifted, revealing the eye-popping details of the most vitriolic legal spat since the Vardy v Rooney case.
In a scathing judgment, Walker, who earns a reported £160,000 a week, was described as "grounded and reasonable" by Judge Edward Hess. Goodman, on the other hand, was branded a spendthrift who treated Walker like "an open-ended cheque book." The judge revealed that Goodman had been prosecuted for benefit fraud and had only £10,000 in assets to her name.
Over two days of dramatic court proceedings, the High Court heard how Goodman:
Pressured Walker into buying her a £2.4 million mansion, then demanded maintenance payments equivalent to a £350,000 annual salary.
Attempted to force Walker to appear in court within 12 hours of the final whistle blowing at the Euros final in Berlin, preventing him from celebrating or commiserating with his teammates.
Argued she needed a £31,000 astro turf lawn because her one-year-old daughter, Kinara, might become a "Lioness," an England women's football star.
Asked Walker's neighbour to spy on him and Annie over the garden fence to gather information about their marriage, claiming she was "ready to finish them."
Demanded a £70,000 Mercedes and another £30,000 car for her nanny, who couldn't even drive.
Argued she needed £500 a month to maintain a hot tub solely for the children's use, an additional £500 for a gardener, and £1,440 for a cleaner.
The court showdown, just 48 hours after England's devastating Euro's defeat to Spain, saw Walker adopt a more assertive stance. Dressed in a sharp black suit and still wearing his wedding ring, he refused to make eye contact with Goodman as she gave evidence from the witness box.
Goodman's arrival at court was chaotic, with her covering her face and shouting at photographers. Walker's long-suffering wife, Annie, was absent, but sources claim she welcomed the court proceedings. However, transporting her four children back from Germany the previous day made attendance impossible.
There were moments of humour during the case. In his broad Sheffield accent, Walker referenced Goodman's desire to spend £16,000, intended for the children's furniture, on two bespoke white leather sofas. "I don't think that's child-friendly," he quipped.
Walker also criticised Goodman's spending habits, bluntly asking her barrister, Nichola Gray KC: "Ms Gray, how many people would you like me to pay for? Does she want a chef?"
While the case involved serious financial disputes, there were moments of emotion too. Goodman broke down in tears while describing her pain at reading Walker's interview with The Sun earlier this year, in which he called their affair a mistake. Walker remained stoic, shaking his head and refusing to make eye contact.
Goodman initially sought to keep the details of the court hearing secret, arguing that her children deserved privacy. However, Judge Hess ruled that she had "actively instigated press coverage" of her children, citing her travelling to the Euros with their son in an England shirt emblazoned with "Daddy" and publicly detailing her feud with Walker. The judge concluded that "if the children suffer any harm from the publicity of these matters, it has already happened, and it will largely be the result of the motherâs own decisions and actions."
With the details now out in the open, Walker can only hope this scandalous chapter in his life will soon be closed, particularly considering the millions it has cost him.
The saga began in 2020 when Goodman had her first child, Kairo, and publicly named Walker as the father. This led to Walker's childhood sweetheart, Annie, moving him out of their family home. A financial application for Kairo went through court over two years, resulting in Walker being ordered to buy Goodman a £1.85 million house within a 60-mile radius of a Sussex town to prevent her from being near his family, and to pay £8,000 per month in child support.
Walker also paid over £600,000 in legal fees for both parties, cleared £40,000 of Goodman's debts, and contributed over £100,000 towards a nanny, furniture, and a car.
He then cut contact with Goodman and moved back in with Annie, with whom he has four sons: Roman, 11, Riaan, seven, Reign, five, and Rezon, three months.
This reconciliation was a source of "disappointment, anguish and anger" for Goodman, who threatened to move near the Walker family's Cheshire home, breaching a court order, and contacted local estate agents.
In August 2022, Goodman contacted Walker's neighbour, asking her to secretly record Walker and Annie in the garden. "Wait until they argue," Goodman messaged, adding: "Ready to finish them."
That same month, Goodman saw Walker at his solicitor's office and contact between the two was resumed.
After travelling to London for groin surgery in October 2022, Walker and Goodman met again, leading to the birth of their daughter nine months later.
Within 48 hours of giving birth, Goodman made a "financial remedies application," demanding an increase in maintenance payments for their son from £110,000 to £177,000 per year. Knowing that Walker wanted to keep their daughter's birth a secret, Goodman made her demands while "hinting that she would go public."
Walker agreed to buy Goodman a £2.4 million Sussex property and spend over £120,000 on renovations, including walk-in wardrobes, blinds and curtains, sofas, and garden furniture.
However, this was not enough for Goodman, who, the judge concluded, "plainly had no intention of keeping the matter secret." In the days leading up to Christmas, Goodman hinted at Walker's paternity in a series of posts, including a picture of their daughter on Instagram captioned: "I'm a lion."
On December 27, knowing that Annie was home alone while Walker was playing football, Goodman messaged her revealing the secret. "Hey, it's Lauryn, I just wanted to quickly tell you that Kyle is the father of our daughter," she wrote.
Goodman claimed in court that she texted Kilner "to sort things out so all the boys could have a relationship" and "to calm things down." But Judge Hess dismissed this claim, stating that "this was intended to, and did, cause distress to the fatherâs wife."
After that message, Walker was forced to move out of his family home once again. He responded with a mea culpa interview weeks later, while Goodman repeatedly vented online and uploaded photos of their children.
The final court hearing on the financial remedy for their daughter was scheduled for 10am on the Monday morning after the Berlin final. Walker's legal team requested an adjournment, but Goodman's lawyers objected, arguing that "he cannot now ask for what is essentially permission to celebrate or commiserate with his teammates."
Judge Hess ultimately adjourned the hearing by 24 hours. On the second day, Goodman arrived wearing a necklace with her children's initials, "KW."
Her list of financial demands, the judge noted, resembled those of a footballer's wife - a role she never held and likely never will.
"The evidence suggests that the mother wished the relationship to develop further than it has and the fatherâs decision not to allow the relationship develop at all and instead to commit himself to his wife has been a source of disappointment, anguish and anger for the mother," the judge stated in his ruling.
Goodman demanded £500 a month to maintain a hot tub, solely for the children's use. She also requested a £70,000 Mercedes GLE, which she claimed was the only car she felt "safe" in, to be replaced every three years. She also asked for a gardener costing £500 a month, a cleaner costing £1,440 per month, and a nanny costing £67,000, plus £30,000 for a car, despite not yet having a driving licence.
The judge ruled in Walker's favour on almost all points, deeming him "sensible, honest, and reliable."
Goodman made a quick exit after the proceedings, while Walker addressed the waiting journalists: "I hope you enjoyed yourselves - I won't be back here again."
He must hope so, for the sake of his marriage and his bank balance.
Following the case, a spokesperson for Walker issued a statement today: "This judgment 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 an open-ended cheque book and repeatedly threatened him in order to get what she wanted."
"She then orchestrated a media campaign to feed intolerable and wrongful intrusion into the private lives of Kyle, Annie and their young family."
"Throughout each court proceeding the judge stated that Kyle adopted a fair and generous stance."
"These proceedings were never necessary. Kyle's offer should have been accepted months ago and would therefore have eliminated the need for added stress to all involved."
"In light of this judgment and the truths it makes public, my client and his family now ask that the media fully respects their rights to a private life as they navigate their next steps."
Both parties have until August 13 to appeal.