Kyle Walker confesses to betraying 'soulmate and best friend' Annie Kilner
ENGLAND chief executive Kyle Walker today admitted he made “idiotic choices and idiotic decisions” about his secret child and bitterly regrets betraying soulmate wife Annie.
The Man City defender, 33, opens up about the pain of losing his family in a stunningly candid interview – and accepts he is the only one to blame.
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He now lives alone in a £3million rented property and accepts that after fathering a second child with model Lauryn Goodman, his wedding is as good as over.
He also apologized to Annie, mother of three of his children and now pregnant with a fourth.
Kyle told The Sun: “What I did is terrible and I take full responsibility.
“I made crazy choices and crazy decisions. I can't begin to think or imagine what Annie is going through. I tried to ask her, but there is pain and hurt.
“The man who is supposed to love her, care for her and be there for her did this.
“There have been days in this ordeal where I just wanted to curl up in a ball and go sleep.
“The only one to blame is me. I have roles and responsibilities that I am aware of and I have made stupid choices. But I have to admit my mistakes – I owe it to everyone.
“My actions have caused a lot of pain to many people. I'm sorry, because as a family this is not the intention.”
Sheffield-born Kyle, who won 81 caps for England and scored the treble with Man City last season, said he was speaking out in the interests of his family.
He explained: “I am a private man but I accept that I am a public figure and I have to address what I have done.
“It didn't help that it was played out in the media. But I have chosen to speak now in the hope that I can at least explain myself and give my wife and children the privacy they so desperately need and deserve.
Kyle, who captained his country for the first time in a 1-1 draw in November North Macedonia, continued: “When I met Annie at the age of 17, I never imagined my private life would be like this. I never thought I would become a father of six children.
My actions have caused a lot of pain to many people
Kyle Walker
“In football I have achieved more than I ever thought I would achieve. But to personally hurt what I truly believe is my best friend, that hurts a lot.
“How can I hurt someone I love so much? That's something I have to find within myself.
“I have to find out why I did this and why situations arose. I'm human and I've made mistakes both on and off the field.
“The players off the field are definitely more damaging and painful for me.
“Football has been my life since I was six, but my family comes before anything on this planet. Right now they are in a lot of pain.”
His voice broke as he revealed: “My son goes to sleep with me every night and not to have him… . . I'm used to being away for a long time periods time with England.
“We say goodnight via FaceTime. But to know that I'm not with him because of my mistake – mistake is probably the wrong word, my choices – that's what hurts me.”
Kyle said he had known Lauryn since he was 20. Despite her claims, he insisted there had never been a relationship.
But in April 2020, she gave birth to a son and later publicly named Kyle as the father.
He remembers calling Annie earlier from the City training ground to warn her news got out and said, 'I have something to tell you. I had a one night stand with someone.”
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He mentioned Lauryn and then interrupted his wife's shouting to add, “I need to tell you something.”
Annie shouted, “Kyle, no, I'm begging you, there can't be anything else.” She said afterwards: “I didn't think 'baby'.
“It was like a nightmare. Before I had time to think, he said, “She says she's pregnant and it's mine.”
Kyle moved out of the family home into an £8,000-a-month rental house in nearby Hale, Cheshire.
Annie later agreed to take him back for the sake of their children, admitting, “How can I hate the man my children love so much?”
Kyle promised not to have any contact with Lauryn other than ongoing financial arrangements.
But in August 2022, Lauryn revealed she was planning to move 250 miles from Brighton to set up home on his doorstep.
Kyle said he met her at a law firm to try to stop the move.
He then met his son Kairo for the first time and the couple resumed contact without Annie's knowledge.
In early October 2022, Kyle traveled to London for groin surgery and met Lauryn.
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He said: “It wasn't intentional or premeditated, but I slept with her. A lot happened. It's not an excuse. I had torn my groin, I had a World Cup that I had to get fit for.”
But then he received the news that Lauryn was pregnant again.
He recalled: “Lauryn told me in late October, early November. I remember going up to the training ground when I got a call from her. I was at the physio at the time. I almost fainted. I was just white. He said to me, 'What's going on?', and I didn't want to tell him because I had to process it myself.
“I asked if we could cancel the session and he just said, 'Fine.'
“I went into survival mode. I thought, 'What can I do every day to make sure I get home to Annie and the boys?'
“When I was dealing with all this, I could still play football. My mother, my father and my friends have asked me: 'How?'.
“But it was my release. It was 90 minutes, 100 minutes, two hours if you want to call it that, during which I didn't have to look at that phone or listen to any one person's demands.
“I have done my very best to keep this a secret, not because I am embarrassed or ashamed. . . I try to be a private person.
“I take full responsibility for the choices I made that hurt other people.
“Nobody put a gun to my head and told me to do these things. I did it of my own accord and I will not blame anything or anyone else in this situation.
“It was me who did it, me and Lauryn. We've both done this.
“If I could go back and do it a different way, I would. I knew what was coming. The second child was born and the deadline was set. It scared me.”
If I could go back and do it a different way, I would
Kyle Walker
The same month he verbally agreed to a £15million move to German giants Bayern Munich – in a bid to flee the looming scandal.
But he ultimately turned them down because he didn't want to be away from his family when his secret was exposed.
Then, the day after Boxing Day, Lauryn sent Annie a message on Instagram, telling her, “I don't have two baby daddies — I have one.”
She also sent a photo of Kyle on a playdate with Lauryn and the two kids at a park.
Kyle added: “I knew something was going to happen when I got back from the Club World Cup before Christmas because I had a conversation with Lauryn.
'She shouted into the phone saying Annie is pregnant. I said she wasn't. It wasn't hers company. I felt like I had to lie to her because I knew if I told her the truth it would blow up.
“The pregnancy was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
My move to Munich to escape
KYLE told how he almost followed Harry Kane to Bayern Munich to escape the looming baby scandal.
The defender verbally agreed a £15million transfer to the German champions in July.
He said: “I tried to escape. Did I want to leave City? No of course not. We are the best team in the world right now.
“But it was a chance to get away from England and the media I would get.
“I knew the clock was ticking. I came very close to moving. We had conversations. I went to a great club, a huge club. But in the end I couldn't go.
“When I'm in Germany and this happens, Annie leaves and I'm now alone in Germany.
“My kids wouldn't be around the corner where I can see them.
“There is pain and emotion right now, but I can go home, take the kids to school and my little boy to football.”
Annie ordered the £160,000-a-week star to leave the family home in Cheshire and has since ditched her wedding ring.
She has hired Coleen Rooney's Wagatha Christie lawyer Paul Lunt and PR guru Rachel Monk.
Shortly after New Year's, she announced in a statement that she was distancing herself from Kyle for “some time.”
He said: “It's my fault. It's completely my fault. It's what I did. But the children are innocent in all of this and that should be everyone's top priority.
“I don't know what the future will keep. But I had to give an explanation. My family, the children have been through enough. . . and it's my fault.”
- KYLE will not be paid for this interview, but a donation will be made to a charity of your choice.
Grateful to Pep and Southgate
GRATEFUL Kyle thanked his Man City manager Pep Guardiola and England's Gareth Southgate for supporting him.
Kyle called the Spaniard “incredible”.
He said: “He didn't know what was happening.
'I didn't want to tell him because I didn't want him to think I wasn't there mentally.
“I cannot thank him enough for the understanding and belief he has shown in me over the past four years.”
Pep, 53, named Kyle captain despite objections from some fans. And the pair hugged on the pitch after a 1-0 win against Spurs in the FA Cup last Friday.
Kyle was visibly emotional and punched the air repeatedly.
He said Southgate – who made him England captain against North Macedonia last year – sent a supportive text message after his latest sex scandal.
He declined to reveal details but said: “Your national coach reaching out in times of need goes beyond just football.”