The playbook for love! Matthew Stafford and wife Kelly Stafford’s romance started in college — and four kids later, they are still going strong.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback fell for his wife in the mid-2000s while playing football for the University of Georgia. At the time, Kelly was a cheerleader for the college.
Nearly two years after tying the knot in April 2015, the “Morning After” podcast host couldn’t help but gush over her husband as they prepared to become first-time parents.
“I truly have the best partner in life. For those of you who know him personally, [you] know what such an amazing man he is .. but I am the only one lucky enough to know what an incredible husband he is,” she wrote via Instagram in March 2017. “We have had so many good years, but I know there are even better ones ahead. I can’t believe the official countdown is on for our two little girls to arrive, you’re gonna make one sexy dad!!”
Kelly added: “But also a good example for what these girls should expect from their future significant others. I just can’t wait to start this adventure with you.”
The duo welcomed their twin girls, Sawyer and Chandler, later that month. They have since added two more daughters, Hunter and Tyler, to their brood in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
Over the years, Kelly has reflected on her journey with Matthew, especially when celebrating their anniversary.
“I believe God placed us at the University of Georgia. You could have gone anywhere to school and yet you picked there … and it was a reach for me to get in, but by some miracle, I did. He wanted us to meet and see where it took us,” she wrote via social media in April 2018. “Now look … over 10 years later and today, 3 years of marriage … and still, each day, you remind me why you are so easy to love. Thank you for picking me to do life with.”
The pair’s relationship was tested in January 2019 when Kelly was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, which she later underwent surgery to remove. One month into her recovery, the mother of four gave her husband a shout-out for helping her through all the ups and downs.
“Thank you, Matthew. Thank you for taking care of me and our family and always putting us first. Thank you for always being my rock and keeping me at ease during the toughest time of my life,” she wrote via Instagram in May 2019. “I’m lucky to know you and the man you are … but mostly, I’m lucky you chose me to do life with. Thank you.”
The former Detroit Lions quarterback — who played for the team from 2009 to 2020 before being traded to L.A. in early 2021 — spoke out in October 2021 about his wife’s strength through the brain tumor and beyond.
“It was a crazy process, but she attacked it like she always does and now look at her,” he said during NFL Film Presents: Stafford Strong. “The coolest thing for me is, they were too young to understand what was going on, but our daughters are going to have something incredible to look back on. There’s going to be times in their lives that things aren’t going to be easy and they’re going to be tough. To be able to look really close to them, look at their mom and go, ‘Look what she did, look what she was able to overcome.’ It’s something that I know will be valuable in their life.”
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Scroll down to see the Staffords’ sweetest relationship moments through the years:
