Inside Roy Keane's family life as football great to become grandad again

Irish Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Roy Keane is set to become a grandad for the fourth time after his daughter Leah announced she is pregnant with her first child.
Leah, who is engaged to England and Southampton footballer Taylor Harwood-Bellis, revealed the happy news on her Instagram page on Wednesday.
She shared a video compilation, with the caption reading: "Half of me, half of you."
It included a number of clips including one showing Leah telling her fiancé that she was pregnant, along with her trip to her first scan.
The news comes just days after Manchester United legend Keane gave a glimpse into his family life as he shared a number of images with his grandchildren on Instagram.
The former Republic of Ireland star turned 54 last Saturday and sharing the photos online, wrote: Happy Birthday to me. All the gifts I need."
Keane has used his Instagram account to show his softer side over the past few years.
Here's what we know about his private life: Happy marriage to 'brilliant' wife Roy Keane with his wife Theresa (Image: Getty Images)
Keane initially encountered his future spouse Theresa Doyle at a nightclub in 1992, whilst he was still playing for Nottingham Forest. Although Keane was immediately smitten, it became apparent that Doyle wasn't swayed by his celebrity footballer status.
He previously revealed to the Mirror: "I spotted a beautiful girl in a club in town. Her name was Theresa Doyle but she blanked me. She was in a steady relationship and didn't seem at all impressed by Roy Keane, the great footballer. In fact, I think my reputation was as a downer for all kinds of reasons. From time to time we ran into each other around Nottingham. I knew some of her friends, who told me Theresa was a dentist's assistant. Eventually, after her relationship broke up, she relented and we went out together. I was in love."
Nevertheless, their inaugural date was hardly the stuff of romantic dreams and they wound up having a minor quarrel about where they should go.
During an appearance on The Tommy Tiernan Show on RTE, Keane had viewers in stitches after confessing things went "very badly", culminating with Theresa slamming a car door. To the delight of the studio audience, Keane recalled: "We met, I picked her up, and I'd met her [before] when I had a few drinks so the chat was slightly different. We went for a spin and I said, 'Do you fancy going to the pictures?' Because at least at the pictures you can just watch the movie, you don't have to chat too much. And she said, 'No, I went last night with my friends'. So I said, 'Do you want to go for a drink?' She said, 'No'.
"I literally drove back to the car, this is all within 10 or 15 minutes. She said, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'Well, you don't want to go for a drink, you don't want to go to the pictures, what else can we do?' She got out [of the car] and I said, 'Might see you next week' and she said 'I don't think so' and slammed the door. That was my first date."
Fortunately, that disastrous first encounter wasn't the final chapter for Keane and Nottingham-born Theresa. The pair exchanged vows in 1997 during an intimate ceremony at the Church of Our Lady Crowned in Keane's native Mayfield, Cork, and have remained devoted to one another ever since.
Speaking candidly about their marriage in a Sunday Times interview during the early 2000s, Keane described her as his "rock". He said: "I don't really mention her in public, but in fairness to her, she has been a rock in my life. Just brilliant. She reads me better than I read myself. I wouldn't say Theresa likes every part of the package. She knows I haven't got a halo over my head. Actually, that's what she likes about me. She also knows I am not the nastiest person in the world." Devoted father-of-five Roy Keane and his daughter Caragh. (Image: The Overlap / Stick to football / YouTube)
Keane and Theresa are parents to five children called Shannon, Caragh, Aidan, Leah and Alanna. The renowned ex-footballer frequently brought them onto the pitch during his Premier League days.
In his memoir, Keane confessed that he "longed to go home to Theresa and the kids" following the 1999 Champions League triumph, instead of partying with his teammates.
He penned: "My plan when I first stopped was, we're going to go on some family trips, we're going to be like the Waltons. We're all going to spend time together, go walk in the park, and after a month or two they didn't have the same plan as me so I think they were kind of missing me going to work. I got offered the job at Sunderland and I was away on a family holiday and my family were looking at me... Not saying it directly but going we kind of enjoy your company but not too much of it so when the job came back up they were saying you should go for it."
Keane previously delighted by posting a photograph on Instagram featuring his charming mini-me grandson. In the snap, uploaded during Keane's debut week on Instagram back in 2021, both Keane and his then-infant grandson displayed remarkably similar stern expressions, accompanied by the amusing caption, "just like his grandad, always smiling."
In a separate post offering insight into Keane's role as a doting grandfather, the pundit revealed details about a cinema outing to watch Sing 2. He quipped: "After arguing with him about whether to watch Scream or Sing 2. I finally won. Sing 2 was brilliant."
Keane did remove his Instagram presence, much to supporters' dismay, though he has subsequently reopened his profile. Clarifying his choice during a Newstalk's Off The Ball appearance, Keane explained: "I'm sure people will get over it and survive! I've said it before, I done it for a bit of fun. With Covid, my youngest daughter was insistent I did it for a bit of fun. But it's moved on now, a bit of closure on it." Other interests
During a chat with a former colleague on The Overlap, Keane was questioned about his non-footballing interests. He responded: "Family, dogs - that's it."
He added: "When you say passion, I love watching other sports. I've been to the last couple of Super Bowls. I wouldn't go out on a Saturday night but I'd go into maybe Altrincham at 6 o'clock for tea, just for a bit of privacy."
The sports star invested in a flat in Dublin's priciest apartment complex in recent years, with 215 properties ranging from €825,000 to a staggering €6.5 million.
He also has a sprawling residence in Cheshire, where he settled during his time playing for Manchester United. In 2010, he listed his Hale home for sale at £9.5million and is now thought to reside in a 9,500 sq ft mansion in Hale, frequently posting photos of his swimming pool and impressive gardens.
Keane seems to have a fondness for gardening, as evidenced by a photo on his now-deleted Instagram account showing the sports icon tending to plants in his expansive garden.