Declan Rice's long-term girlfriend is Lauren Fryer, his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his child. The couple began dating in 2015, long before Rice became one of Arsenal and England's biggest football stars.
The midfielder, who is up for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or this evening, has been in a relationship with Fryer for over a decade. The pair first met when they were both 17 years old and have remained at each other's side ever since.
How did they meet?
Rice and Fryer met when they were 17 and began dating in 2015, before Rice joined Arsenal, when they both lived in their hometown, Kingston-Upon-Thames. They attended the same school as children.
The couple prefer to stay out of the spotlight where they can, but have been spotted out together, including trips to Reading festival, holidays in Ibiza and dinners in the Shard.
Family life and public scrutiny
In August 2022, the couple welcomed their first child, a son called Jude. Fryer has brought Jude along to some of Rice's biggest sporting moments, including when Arsenal won the Premier League after a 22-year drought.
“It feels so good,” Rice wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him and his family. She also joined him across the pond for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where she could regularly be seen on the sidelines cheering him on.
In 2024, Fryer completely wiped her social media accounts after being cruelly trolled online. Following the online abuse, Rice issued a statement defending his long-term girlfriend, saying: "Lauren is the love of my life, and there is no one better for me."
Dani Dyer, who is married to former England player Jarrod Bowen, said of Fryer: “She is a really good mum, who keeps to herself. She's Dec's childhood sweetheart and you can see how much he adores her."
