
Cole Palmer and girlfriend fuel rumours with social media antics after 'difficult' admission
Cole Palmer and his influencer girlfriend Connie Grace have unfollowed each other on social media, prompting rumours that the couple have broken up. Palmer recently won the FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea, starring in the final as the Blues beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0.
Palmer had a hand in all three goals, scoring two and notching an assist, but Grace was not among the other wives and girlfriends that joined Chelsea on the pitch at MetLife Stadium to celebrate the victory.
And the couple have now sparked speculation of a break-up by no longer following each other on Instagram. Palmer and Grace have known each other since they were 17, but did not go public with their relationship until November last year when they appeared together at the GQ Men of the Year Awards.
Grace has 38,000 followers on Instagram and runs her own nail salon business in Manchester. Opening up about their relationship in Amazon Prime documentary 'England's Lions: A New Generation', Grace said: "I think we knew me through mutual friends so I think he probably had his eye on me.
"Oh, he's warm and cuddly. Well, with me, hopefully with no one else. When you know how much someone wants something and you know that's someone's dream, you just feel so proud."
Grace continued: "Cole now is still the same Cole that I met when I was 17. Obviously, he's changed, he's grown up, and his life now is completely different, but he's still the same boy, he's still laid-back Cole.
"Cole will adapt to whatever situation he's in. He's not bothered that he's that far from home because all he wants to do is play football and if it means leaving home and being in a place which is completely different to where he's from, he'll do it.
"He's not bothered about the whole fame side of it and he's not bothered what people think of him.
"He is only just bothered about scoring goals and doing well for his team, doing well for his country, and you've got to love him for that."
However, rumours of their breakup comes after Palmer admitted he has been having a "difficult time" recently. After scoring against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup, Palmer ran over to the Chelsea bench to celebrate with teammate Tosin Adabioyo.
And when asked about the celebration, Palmer explained: "That's my boy. Obviously, I've had a difficult time these past whatever months on and off the pitch, but he's always been there for me and he's helped me a lot.
"So, yeah, I just thought I'd go over to him."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Inside Lioness hero Lucy Bronze's low-key life from secret romance to real name
England's Lucy Bronze helped the Lionesses to clinch Euro glory performances on the pitch, but away from the sport, she lives a low-key life with her rumoured girlfriend Lioness Lucy Bronze managed a Herculean 105 minutes as England triumphed over Spain in the European Championships final, having also damaged her right leg in the dramatic quarter-final win over Sweden. That performance in the quarter-final summed up Bronze - scoring to bring the tie back to 2-1 before strapping up her leg for the winning penalty in the shootout, and perfectly fits in with her middle name - Tough. Born Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze, the England icon was given her apt middle name as it is her mother Diane's maiden name. Bronze displayed more than her fair share of toughness as she revelled in England's penalty shootout triumph over Spain on Sunday. Lucy, 33, is known as one of the world's top female footballers - boasting over 120 international appearances and a collection of silverware, including five Champions League crowns. The football star transferred to Chelsea in 2024 following her time at Barcelona, and her adaptability as a right-back or wing-back continues to prove invaluable for both club and nation. Away from the football pitch, she was rumoured to be in a relationship with England's vice-captain and Chelsea player Keira Walsh, 28. In the summer of 2022, Bronze and Walsh both made the switch from Man City to Barcelona and competed in the World Cup as part of the Lionesses squad the following year. The pair kept their rumoured romance relatively low-key and never publicly confirmed their relationship, but shared several cosy photos together on social media over the years. Some of which included sun-soaked getaways together, including a break to Lyon, France, in 2019 and a trip to LA in May 2022, where they struck a pose on the beach. They've even spent time together with both their families, as a sweet Instagram snap showed Lucy and Keira beaming alongside their loved ones. While they never confirmed their relationship together or a split, things seemed to suddenly come to an end. Despite their romance seemingly fizzling out, Lucy and Keira appear to remain amicable and are both part of the Lioness squad. Lucy is now said to be romantically linked with Spanish footballer Ona Batlle, 26. While neither of the pair have confirmed their relationship, they have shared a series of sweet snaps together. One social media post saw them on holiday together last month before the Euros kicked off in Switzerland. In the post, Lucy wrote: "Few days of sun," while Ona commented with a heart-eyed emoji. They even took a trip to Disneyland Paris together in December last year. Meanwhile, Lucy recently opened up about her future and about starting a family of her own one day. In an interview with Women's Health, she shared: "I could get a corporate job. I could try to be part of the Federation or FIFA. I could help someone like Chelsea develop the women's team." The player added: "I wouldn't say there's something I'm dying to do, apart from have a family. My brother's got two kids and that's what I'm most jealous of, seeing my niece and nephew. But there's plenty of time for that – and what that looks like, I don't know." In March this year, she revealed she was diagnosed with autism and ADHD back in 2021. The news didn't come as a bombshell to those closest to her, as she recounted on BBC Sport: "I remember Demi (Stokes)... when I said it to her she was like 'obviously'. I got that reaction off everyone, my mum, my family." Lucy confessed she had spotted the indicators herself before undergoing assessment, yet still felt misunderstood. "I remember when I was younger being treated a bit differently because of how I was acting," she said. "Growing up as a child that was misunderstood, I don't want that for anybody else." The sports star now serves as an ambassador for the National Autistic Society, campaigning to boost understanding and challenge prejudice surrounding the condition. Although she was originally offered the option of medication for her ADHD, she declined after some thought, dubbing it her "superpower" on the pitch. She said: "Everyone's like 'you're so passionate about football'. I don't know if I'd say I'm passionate, I'm just obsessed and that's my autism. I think it has made me so successful at football especially. "Something that's really good for ADHD is exercise. Training every day is amazing for me. The girls are like 'are you sure you're 33? You just don't stop' and I'm like, 'That's my superpower'."


Metro
44 minutes ago
- Metro
Man Utd eyeing up two strikers after giving up on £80m Chelsea transfer target
Manchester United's search for a new striker has been narrowed down to two names after giving up on a deal to sign Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson. The Red Devils have already recruited Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer but want to bring in another attacker before the new season. United had been interested in signing Jackson from Chelsea but have ruled out a summer move due to his price tag, The Athletic have reported. It was previously thought that £50m would be enough but Chelsea are now demanding £80m for the Senegal international, according to iNews. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. After walking away from a deal to sign Jackson, United are now focused on two other alternative targets – Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko. Watkins produced 16 goals and eight assists across 38 Premier League games for Aston Villa last season and has plenty of top-flight experience. Sesko has never played in England but the RB Leipzig forward has far more potential – given the 22-year-old is seven years younger than Watkins. United have already contacted both Villa and Leipzig over how much each player will cost and have not yet made a final decision on who to prioritise. It's thought United may have to offload a player before signing Watkins or Sesko, such as Alejandro Garnacho and Antony, who are both up for sale. United are willing to pay up to £45m for Watkins – but Sesko would be notably more expensive in the region of €80m-€90m (£69m to £78m). Ruben Amorim's side face a battle with Newcastle United to land Sesko this summer if they decide to prioritise a move for him instead of Watkins. The Magpies have placed the Slovenian at the top of their list to replace Alexander Isak, who has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool. There is good news for the Red Devils, though, with German outlet Leipziger Volkszeitung reporting that Sesko would prefer a move to Old Trafford than St James' Park. Meanwhile, legendary former United defender Rio Ferdinand is adamant that the club should sign Watkins instead of Sesko. While the Englishman may have less resale value than Sesko, and possibly less time at the top level, he is Premier League proven, which Amorim confirmed was a factor in United's decision to sign Cunha and Mbeumo. More Trending 'We need someone with experience who the other centre forwards look at and go, 'that's a bit of me', without any doubts,' Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. 'Ollie Watkins says that, Premier League proven, played in the Champions League last year as well, has done his thing consistently for a while, international, plays for England as well. He ticks all the boxes. 'He's 29-years-old, there's no sell-on value, it's purely to have an impact immediately over the next two or three years which I think Ollie Watkins can have in a good way on the centre forwards who are there. He would be great right now as well. 'That front three if you played Ollie Watkins, [Bryan] Mbeumo, [Matheus] Cunha and you can mix that in with Amad, [Mason] Mount, whoever, that's a hard day's work for opposing defence on most days.' MORE: Arsenal want to make Eberechi Eze their seventh summer signing – on one condition MORE: West Ham eye transfer move for forgotten £35million Arsenal star MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr want Man Utd outcast and Chelsea standout


Metro
44 minutes ago
- Metro
Actress shares major update on Madonna biopic after having to ‘convince' star
Julia Garner has revealed the Madonna biopic, in which she will play the music icon, is still in the works. She also reassured fans about the delay, saying that 'anything that's great…takes a long time'. The Ozark actress was reportedly cast as the Material Girl hitmaker in 2022 but months later, the project was placed on hold, and its fate has been up in the air ever since. However, Julia said in a new interview on Monday that it is 'supposed to still happen'. The Fantastic Four: First Steps star had been a fan of Madonna when she was growing up so knew she had to audition as soon as she heard the project was in the pipeline. She told the SmartLess podcast of her initial involvement with the biopic: 'It just came about… like I knew that they were doing a project, making a movie about it, and then I went out to audition. I kind of just wanted to see if I could do it.' The 31-year-old actress has no dance training, so she had to learn how to move and then show off her skills in front of Madonna herself – as well as sing with her – and 'convince' the 66-year-old that she could do both. Naturally, a very daunting situation – but the Inventing Anna star decided to channel the Vogue hitmaker during the nerve-wracking process. Explaining that she asked herself what Madonna would do, she added: 'Which is like convince you that she deserves to be in this room. And I owned it. I was like, 'You can take it or leave it, but if you leave it, if I leave, then that's on you.'' In July last year, Madonna revealed she was working on a new draft script for the biopic, which is expected to be titled Who's That Girl in a nod to the singer's 1987 movie and song of the same name. She will also be directing the movie. Madonna took to Instagram and posted a collection of photos of herself working on the script with the caption: 'I Need A-lot of Bandz to make this ……….. OKAY. (Story of my life) [sic].' The film was announced in 2020, and Oscar-winning Juno scribe Diablo Cody and Snow White's Erin Cressida Wilson were brought on to help the Like A Virgin hitmaker with the script and screenplay. However, in January 2023, it was revealed the film had been paused indefinitely at Universal Pictures. After the movie was shelved, Madonna went on her Celebration Tour in October 2023 to mark four decades in the music industry, but reportedly resumed work on the project once she got back home in June in the hopes she could finalise the script with Universal. An industry insider previously told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: 'Madonna has only just finished her tour but in her mind it is on to the next project and fulfilling her dream of getting the biopic made. 'Julia is still her lead actress and they have remained in touch for the past year, talking through ideas. They are committed to creating some magic.' The duo had also hyped up fans by being photographed together at a celebrity party in May that year, chowing down on chips, while Julia also appeared onstage during the tour with Madonna in December 2023. The Papa Don't Preach chart-topper had explained she wanted to both direct and write the movie because she wanted complete control over the project. She told Variety: 'I've had an extraordinary life, I must make an extraordinary film. 'It was also a pre-emptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make movies about me. Mostly misogynistic men. 'So I put my foot in the door and said, 'No one's going to tell my story, but me.'' More Trending Madonna would be following a line of musical biopics produced in recent years, including Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody, Sir Elton John movie Rocketman and the underperforming Better Man, based on the life of Robbie Williams. Garner is currently in cinemas as the Silver Surfer opposite Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the MCU's reboot of The Fantastic Four. It's enjoyed a strong opening, raking in $218million (£163.3m) already, surpassing the summer's other superhero flack in DC Studio's Superman from director James Gunn. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: These are the 10 best sci-fi films of all time according to film lovers MORE: Eddie Murphy confirms exciting new details of Shrek's Donkey spin-off MORE: 7 films celebrating women in sport after the Lionesses win Euro 2025