After a whirlwind divorce and a flurry of cheating rumors, it seems like Ali Krieger is ready for her own shot at happiness. The soccer player, who was previously married to Ashlyn Harris, appeared on Wednesday’s episode of the She Pivots podcast to dish about a new romantic interest. While it took her ex-wife just one month to publicly move on with One Tree Hill alum Sophia Bush, Krieger said she’s grateful she took the time — less than a year, mind you — to heal after she was blindsided by a divorce filing in September. And while the 39-year-old is staying mum on her paramour’s identity, she offered a very pointed description, calling the mystery person “wonderful” … someone she “really, really” likes.
“I’m so grateful that we met,” Krieger said, adding that the “timing was really great because I gave myself time … to really focus on obviously soccer and finishing my career, but then healing my wounds and kind of licking my wounds, so to speak.”
That it took Krieger just “eight, nine months” to heal from a four-year marriage to the mother of her children, a surprise divorce, and having to see her ex in tabloids with a very famous actress is admirable. Although it does seem like she approached the recovery process exactly as an athlete would: head-on, no nonsense. Krieger says she grieved, dug deep, and even held herself accountable for her contributions to the failed relationship. That sounds like one efficiently therapized adult to me.
Sadly, Krieger reiterated that she never wanted her union with Harris to end, confirming that she would have been “willing to stay” and “really fight” for their family if she had had a say in the matter. But if the hints she dropped in this interview are to be believed, perhaps Krieger will wind up with a happy ending she never saw coming. And while healing from a breakup is no competitive sport, at least she gets to sleep easy knowing the internet is in her corner.