As fans relish in the news of Serena Williams‘ first pregnancy with fiancé and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, her star power has arguably never shone brighter. First and foremost, she’s a world number one ranked tennis player with more titles and accolades than a single resumé could ever fit. At 35 years old, The Tennis Star has already been regarded by some as the greatest female tennis player of all time. It is most likely because of her dedication to her sport that fans can lose sight of the fact that Williams also has a personal life, one that saw two major milestones this year.
In these moments, the fans are more curious than ever because it’s something they can feel connected to and magazines, websites and red carpet gaggles help feed that curiosity.
The attention can escalate even more for athletes who get involved with people that are already celebrities, like baseball pitcher Justin Verlander or tennis star Andy Roddick, whose significant others are Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girls Kate Upton and Brooklyn Decker. While Hollywood may not have known much about the men beyond their current team and position, after their respective romances with the models, Tinseltown took interest in who the stars had chosen to spend their lives with.
That interest often reveals itself in questions from late-night hosts about wedding planning, photoshoots featuring the future Mr. and Mrs. in magazine spreads and, if you’re Victoria Beckham and David Beckham, your wedding photos plastered on the cover of Ok! Magazine.
The Beckhams
While the athlete in question may not have been a red carpet staple before, thanks to their star-studded significant other, the paparazzi are eager to get a shot of that mid-pose kiss because that’s what the people want to see.
In addition to being their famous significant other’s permanent plus one to the Grammy Awards, a main character on their reality show à la Kroy Biermann and Kim Zolciak-Biermann or the woman of your hot new music video (we’re looking at you, Enrique Iglesiasand Anna Kournikova), the star also has first dibs on the best seat in the stadium and can often win fans’ hearts without even playing, like Tom Brady‘s right-hand woman, Gisele Bündchen.
As the New England Patriots secured their most recent Super Bowl win this year, fans looked to the supermodel, who was adorably freaking out in the stands like any proud wife would.