While there were a handful of England WAGs desperately seeking attention in the stands at Boston’s magnificent Foxborough stadium on Wednesday night, there was one who stood out – for her absolute determination to stay hidden.
She was Lauren Fryer, the girlfriend of Declan Rice, and everything about her demeanour begged: ‘Please don’t look at me.’
A tall order, you might say, given the Three Lions families receive VIP seats, meaning they are on show for the television cameras just as much as their other halves on the pitch.
However, despite her best efforts – wearing a very un-WAG-ish white rain mac, perhaps in the hope that she could hide in the glamorous shade cast by the likes of Megan Pickford in her Chanel mini dress and Ellie Watkins in her customised England shirt – Lauren was soon spotted by fans.
And they couldn’t help but notice the tiny baby on her lap, who is understood to be her and Declan’s second child – which came as a huge surprise to everyone.
Their representatives declined to comment on whether the baby – gender unknown – was theirs, though friends did confirm that Declan and Lauren, both 27, are now parents of two. They also have a three-year-old son, Jude.
There had been no announcement, no baby shower, no beautifully curated pictures on Instagram, no glossy spread in Hello magazine.
And the reason for this uncharacteristic secrecy?
Declan Rice was seen with his partner Lauren Fryer and their baby after England’s goalless draw with Ghana
It was a surprise to see Lauren Fryer in the stands with a baby on her lap, as the couple later confirmed they had become parents of two
The appalling abuse Lauren was subjected to two years ago, by vile social media trolls and rival football fans, over her appearance, which, I’m told, she is still ‘struggling’ to deal with.
In fact, she almost didn’t make it to the World Cup at all.
‘Lauren was so scarred by the horrid and disgusting slurs she was subjected to that it was a miracle she made it to Boston,’ says an England insider.
‘She loves watching Declan. She is the most loving and supportive partner, but the abuse devastated her. She didn’t feel she couldn’t go to the US.
‘She didn’t want to be seen, she didn’t want to be recognised and there was a time when she just wanted to be at home and watch it the television, then nobody could judge her. But then the trolls would win, wouldn’t they?
‘It has been so difficult for both Declan and Lauren. He adores her so much and does everything he can to protect her.’
Lauren’s torment began in December 2023, when an anonymous account cruelly attacked Arsenal midfielder Declan, saying that he ‘could do better’ than Lauren.
Her ‘crime’ apparently, was to not conform to the accepted WAG aesthetic of gym-sculped body, with plumped out lips and enhanced breasts, but dare to be her natural self – a perfectly lovely, happy young mother.
Outrageously, the Arsenal captain was told he had ‘low standards’ for being in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, whom he met at Grey Court School in Ham, south-west London, when they were teenagers.
The abuse soon spread to the stands, where rival ‘fans’ would sing vile, misogynistic chants about Lauren, directed at Declan.
Rice and Lauren Fryer with their son Jude after Arsenal won the Premier League
Rice celebrates with Harry Kane, John Stones and Noni Madueke during England’s first match against Croatia
Things became so bad, that Lauren felt forced to leave both Instagram and X, deleting all her posts and the gorgeous pictures she once lovingly shared of her and Declan’s life and travels. She has not returned to the site since.
Once upon a time Declan would also post loving messages on X, though that too, sadly, has also stopped and she is absent from his social media.
The public response to the abuse was swift, with a flood of online support for Lauren. Football bosses called for the fans chanting the abuse to be identified and banned. But still the scars remain.
‘In a world where you have so many of these footballers’ wives desperately seeking fame and fortune, Lauren is a breath of fresh air,’ said the friend. ‘Yet because she is the antidote to the stereotypical WAG, she is getting all this abuse. It is disgusting.
‘There is a group who are in the stands commanding attention at games worrying about when the cameras are on them, making sure they look the part. That’s the antithesis of Lauren. In many respects, she’s the anti-WAG.’
The friend added: ‘While the other WAGs revel in this stuff, Lauren finds it very hard.
‘Of course she will always support Declan, she just does it in her own way.’
Sources inside the England camp tell me that Lauren is still so wary she’d hoped to travel from the couple’s home in Surrey – just a few miles from where they grew up – to the US without ‘becoming the story’.
What makes it all the more sad is that friends say she is one of the ‘loveliest people you could meet’.
Declan’s team, including the Arsenal press office and his personal publicist, are very protective of her.
‘They see how angry it makes Declan,’ says a source. ‘He is furious that because of his own fame she is subjected to such cruelty. They are a lovely couple, both with a heart of gold, who just want to get on with their lives.’
Lauren did brave the public eye at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium in May, when Arsenal became Premier League champions.
She joined Declan on the pitch for the celebrations where she posed with him and Jude – although not their new baby.
It was the first time she had been seen in public since the Euros in Germany back in 2024, and many across social media commented on how beautiful she looked in an understated blazer and trousers.
Lauren and Declan are said to be a very popular, and rock-solid, couple. As Declan rose through the ranks at West Ham United, Lauren trained as a make-up artist – a career she continued with until she had Jude.
Meanwhile, Declan is a fun-loving star who enjoys the trappings of being a footballer, including having celebrity friends.
I have witnessed how much Declan enjoys a night out myself, when I was introduced to him by TV star and actor James Corden at Soho House’s 180 club, where the pair were partying with former West Ham footballer Mark Noble.
Declan, who was not as gregarious as his pal Corden, appeared to be enjoying his evening in the exclusive venue.
He has also been spotted in various West End nightclubs with his teammates and was a regular at London hotspot Chiltern Firehouse with Corden, before it caught fire last year.
Following Arsenal winning the Premier League, he went open water swimming with the former US chat show host, who is known for his A-list contacts book. The pair were seen at the Surrey Hills Adventure company, which is near Declan’s £3milion mansion.
Corden is said to be ‘almost like a big brother’ to Declan, ever since he played for the actor’s favourite football team, West Ham. I’m reliably told that loyal Corden ‘deplores’ any kind of social media trolling.
‘James hates social media trolling, he gets very cross about it,’ says a source who knows him. ‘He loves Declan and hates that this has happened to Lauren.’
Ms Fryer takes a picture of Rice and the baby while the couple’s son Jude, 3, sat to their right
Presenter and radio DJ Roman Kemp is another star who has shown his support. He is a die-hard Arsenal fan and a mental health advocate.
I’m told Lauren has decided against being part of the wider group of WAGs who are following the England squad across America to cheer them on.
She isn’t thought to have been in Dallas for the team’s 4-2 win over Croatia, jetting in just for the Ghana game on Wednesday.
We don’t know whether she’ll make Saturday’s clash with Panama at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, either.
Of course, this may have everything to do with having two very young children in tow.
While Lauren might not be part of the party gang, I’m told that the other wives and girlfriends adore her.
‘She’s lovely,’ says a friend of another WAG.
‘Lauren has so much support from the others who are desperately sad that she has had to endure all of this. It is not fair.’
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