Kate O’Connor’s footballer boyfriend, Georgie Kelly, has shed light on their romance, revealing that it involves more Ryanair flights than he’d like to think about.
Georgie lines out for Carlisle in England while Kate hails from Newry in Northern Ireland, and somewhat inevitably, the distance between them involves a lot of juggling schedules and making things work.
The couple first met by chance in 2018 when he played for Dundalk and was placed in their digs, which just happened to be around the corner from her house.
Georgie Kelly of Bohemians with Kate O’Connor arriving before the PFA Ireland Awards at The Marker Hotel in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
He noticed her around, and it wasn’t long before romance blossomed. Georgie is full of admiration for how his other half copes with the pressure of sport.
‘How she manages stress is a gift in itself,’ he told the Irish Times while acknowledging that his other half’s competitiveness can spill over into their everyday life.
‘I know all about her competitiveness,’ he laughed, adding: ‘Even day-to-day things. She hates losing.
Kate O’Connor with her father and coach Michael. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
‘Little small things, she is very competitive. But it was great [when she took gold at the European Athletics Championships], Jesus Christ, it was so good.’
While Kate’s sporting career might be thriving, it did mean sacrificing some of her academic ambitions, but according to Georgie, his girlfriend is naturally intelligent.
‘Being around her, I see the intelligence… The detail in every event is so complex. The timing and steps for long jump or high jump. Trying to figure out every single piece, it helps when you have a brain.’
Georgie Kelly with Kate O’Connor at his graduation. Pic: Georgie Kelly/Instagram
For the moment, the couple is continuing to be long-distance, with him saying they never leave it longer than a couple of weeks to see one another.
He added: ‘I’ve been on more Ryanair flights than I’ve ever wanted to be on.’