Inside Steven Gerrard's 14-year marriage to Alex Curran where they lived 220 miles apart

The new Aston Villa manager and the former model have been together since 2002, have four children together and have lived four hours apart for the last three years

Posted Friday, November 12, 2021 by Dailystar.co.uk

Steven Gerrard's departure from Rangers on Thursday brings to an end a three-year period where he has lived 220 miles away from his wife, Alex Curran, and their four children.

Curran and the couple's four children stayed in Liverpool after Gerrard was appointed Rangers manager in the summer of 2018, meaning they were separated by an eight-hour round trip.

His move to Aston Villa, though, ends this long distance portion of their marriage, with Birmingham just 99 miles from Liverpool with a journey time of around two hours.

Speaking of the distance between himself and his family, Gerrard previously told the Daily Mail that "it comes with its challenges".

Inside Steven Gerrard's 14-year marriage to Alex Curran where they lived 220 miles apart
Steven Gerrard and Alex Curran have been married for 14 years (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Gerrard and Curran began dating in 2002 with the pair both hailing from Liverpool and wed five years later in June 2007 at a lavish ceremony in Buckinghamshire.

Later that year, Curran was at their £3million house as it was broken into while Gerrard was playing for Liverpool in a Champions League match in Marseille.

Prior to their wedding, the couple welcomed the first of their three daughters as Curran gave birth to Lilly-Ella and Lexie in the early years of their relationship.

Curran, who is a model and fashion writer, is also one of England's most recognisable 'WAGs' having been a member of the infamous group of wives and girlfriends at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

In 2011, they welcomed their third child as daughter Lourdes was born.

Inside Steven Gerrard's 14-year marriage to Alex Curran where they lived 220 miles apart
Steven Gerrard lived 220 miles away from his wife while managing Rangers (Image: Getty Images)

Four years later, the family moved to the USA after Gerrard left Liverpool to sign for MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy on an 18-month deal.

He left his boyhood club after 26 years, having joined the Reds as a nine-year-old back in 1989 and went on to win 11 major trophies.

Gerrard made over 700 appearances for the club and became the only player to score in the finals of the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

While in LA, the family lived in a £16.8million mansion provided to them by the club and, at the time, Curran told the Mirror that she hoped they would stay out there for a while.

"He has an 18-month deal, but I hope he gets it extended because it’s great here. I’d love to stay here longer. It’s so different to Liverpool, but I think we’ll be really happy.”

Inside Steven Gerrard's 14-year marriage to Alex Curran where they lived 220 miles apart
The couple started dating in 2002 (Image: Eamonn and James Clarke/PA Images)

On the decision to choose the USA over a move elsewhere in Europe, Curran said: “They speak English in America. In Spain or Italy, the barrier would have been difficult for all of us, especially the kids.”

However, they returned to England at the end of his contract in 2017 and soon after welcomed their fourth child and first son as Lio was born.

Around the same time, Gerrard began working as a youth coach at Liverpool, a role he held from February 2017 through to the end of the season.

That summer, he was promoted to become the manager of the club's under-18 side and was in charge of the team throughout the 2017/18 season.

Inside Steven Gerrard's 14-year marriage to Alex Curran where they lived 220 miles apart
Steven Gerrard and Alex Curran have four children together (Image: Getty Images Europe)

In the summer of 2018, he was appointed manager of Scottish giants Rangers and relocated to Glasgow, while Curran and the kids stayed in Liverpool.

This meant that Gerrard lived 220 miles and four hours away from his wife and children as he spent three years in charge of Rangers.

In this time he twice guided them to the round of 16 of the Europa League before winning the club's 55th league title last season without losing a match.

The achievement had added significance as it prevented Old Firm rivals Celtic from winning 10 titles in a row and was also Rangers' first triumph in a decade.

Inside Steven Gerrard's 14-year marriage to Alex Curran where they lived 220 miles apart
Steven Gerrard won the league at Rangers last season

On Thursday, Gerrard was appointed the manager of Premier League side Aston Villa as he returned to the league six years after playing his last match in the English top flight.

Gerrard replaces Dean Smith at Villa Park with the club 16th in the table and has signed a four-year deal through to the summer of 2025.

This also brings to an end the period of living far away from his family, with Birmingham located under 100 miles away from Liverpool, although it is not yet known if Curran and the kids will move to the city to be with Gerrard.