Following her stand-out performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Matildas mid-fielder Katrina Gorry has quickly become one of the most recognised names in Australian football.
While she may be best known for her on-field performance, Katrina’s life outside the game has also garnered a loyal fan following.
As Katrina makes the exciting announcement that her family of three will soon be four, we take a closer look at her relationship with her fiancee Clara Markstedt.
Who is Katrina Gorry’s partner?
Katrina Gorry is currently engaged to her former Vittsjo GIK teammate Clara Markstedt.
Following Katrina’s move to Sweden, the pair first crossed paths when the Matildas star joined the Swedish team in late 2021.
While Katrina’s mum Linda was visiting in May 2022, the couple went on their first date together. Shortly after, Katrina asked Clara to be her partner through an adorable proposal, with daughter Harper wearing a homemade shirt saying, “Will you be my mum’s girlfriend?”
Speaking on their early relationship, Katrina told Woman’s Day. “The last thing I was coming to Sweden for was to find love. I think Clara was sending different signals, but I wasn’t picking up on them. I think my mum picked up on it before I did!”
After one year together, Clara popped the question to Katrina while on a couple’s getaway in Falkenberg.
“The best love stories never end. YES,” Katrina wrote to Instagram alongside a collection of photos from the couple’s engagement.
“We had a picnic by the water, played some cards, and Clara showed me a video of our past year together. She wrote me a letter, told me to close my eyes and got down on one knee. It was beautiful,” Katrina told Woman’s Day.
Reflecting on their relationship, Clara shared that while her love for Katrina continues to grow, it was Katrina’s relationship with her daughter Harper that further drove her to propose.
“[Katrina] was just the person I wanted to be around. It was obviously a package deal [with Katrina and Harper], but I loved them both. We became a team from the beginning,” Clara told Woman’s Day.
As part of her Australian Story special, The Making of Mini: Katrina Gorry, Katrina reflected on her proposal, sharing, “I never was interested in getting married, but after I met Clara, I was like, ‘This is my girl. We’re going to do life together’.”
Following Katrina’s move from Sweden’s Vittsjo GIK to England’s West Ham United, the family of three relocated to the United Kingdom. The couple are also counting down the days till their nuptials, tying the knot in 2025.
Does Katrina Gorry have children?
Katrina Gorry gave birth to her daughter Harper on August 16, 2021.
During her time with Norwegian football club Avaldsnes IL in early 2020, Katrina decided to undergo IVF, with the Matildas star conceiving via sperm donor.
“In Norway, you tell them the main characteristics you want [in a sperm donor], and they go out and choose your data and you never really find out [who the father is],” she told Mamamia.
“Some people have asked me, ‘Was that really hard for you not to know [who the donor is?]’ and I think I have no expectations as long as they’re healthy… I don’t know what he looks like and I feel really comfortable with that.”
After her initial consultation, Katrina decided not to share her IVF journey with anyone, including her immediate family, telling Australian Story, “I didn’t want anyone to talk me out of it.”
After undergoing her egg transferal in Norway, Katrina discovered she was pregnant while in mandatory quarantine in Brisbane.
“It was very long for me to be in quarantine just wondering and thinking about all the things that were happening in my body and if I was feeling pregnant,” Katrina told Mamamia.
While Katrina’s IVF journey brought her one step closer to her dream of being a mother, it was not without its challenges. Speaking to Australian Story, the 31-year-old shared that prior to Harper’s arrival, she had been struggling with her mental health and was slowly losing interest in football.
“For a long time, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m done with this.’ Then I had [Harper]. It was almost like I was a kid again. She definitely reignited that dream.”
Three months after welcoming her daughter, Katrina returned to her home club of Brisbane Roar before making the move to Sweden to join the prestigious Vittsjö GKI.
Katrina’s international move would see her cross paths with her now-fiancee Clara. “I was happy to be on my own, a single mum with Harper,” Katrina told The Australian Women’s Weekly. “I wasn’t looking for a relationship – it just happened very organically.”
In November 2023, the couple announced that they were expecting a child together. Sharing the announcement to social media, the family of three shared an adorable snap together holding ultrasound images, captioning the post, “adding more love to our love story.”
“I’d always envisioned myself having kids, but it never felt like something that would be happening soon,” Clara told the publication. “Meeting Katrina and seeing what an incredible mother she already was … I felt safe with her. There are no battles; we discuss everything and we’re a great team. My own parents divorced when I was very young, so I’ve treated my parenting of Harper as a slow process. I’d never want to overstep.”
In June 2024, the couple revealed that they had welcomed their newest family member, a son named Koby Peter David Gorry.
Teammates including Mackenzie Arnold, Caitlin Ford and Caitlin Cooper were quick to join the thousands of comments on the announcement t post, sharing congratulatory messages.
With a new family addition, a wedding set to take place n Hamilton Island next year and the Olympics quickly approaching – it’s a busy time ahead for the family of four.
“I absolutely loved being pregnant and can’t wait to do it again,” Katrina told AWW, revealing the couple’s plan for Clara to undergo IVF in the future so that Katrina can carry an embryo formed of Clara’s egg and the same donor sperm used for Harper and her baby brother.
Want a love story of your own? Start your love journey for FREE today, with eHarmony.
