England's World Cup 2026 campaign is well and truly underway, with Jude Bellingham and the national team taking on Norway tonight [11th July] to battle it out for a spot in the semi-final.
While all eyes are on Jude’s friendship with Erling Haaland while they’re on the pitch, we’re also quite keen to have little insights into the players’ lives off the pitch - including their wives and girlfriends.
22-year-old Jude, who plays for La Liga's Real Madrid at a club level, is one of the nation's shining stars this season, and is dating Ashlyn Castro. But who exactly is she? Here's what you need to know about her career, background, age, famous ex-boyfriend and more.
So far, neither Jude or Ashlyn have spoken out about their relationship, but that hasn’t stopped fans from picking up little bits and bobs about them, such as photos of her in the stands at his games, and also piecing together a timeline of their relationship.
How old is Ashlyn Castro?
Ashlyn was born on the 17th December 1997, making her 28 years old and six years senior to Jude, who is 22 (about to be 23 though on the 29th June.)
Where is Ashlyn Castro from?
She was born in California in the US, making this the perfect World Cup for her.
What is Ashlyn Castro's job?
She's an influencer, model and content creator with a massive 675k followers on Instagram. Her bio simply reads as a green heart, and her grid shows off brand partnerships with the likes of Clarins, lots of selfies and outfit pictures from tropical locations, as well as beauty and lifestyle content.
How did Jude Bellingham and Ashlyn Castro meet?
The pair are very private about their relationship, and so neither of them have ever publicly spoken out to reveal how they met. It's thought, though, that they matched on celebrity dating app Raya in late 2024, and she was later seen hanging out with his parents at a Real Madrid game in early 2025. They were spotted interacting on Instagram as early as November 2024.
Since then, the pair have been photographed together a number of times, including after the Croatia game in Dallas on 17th June, and also at the Spanish tennis open back in April.
Has Ashlyn been out at the World Cup 2026?
She certainly has! Although she hasn’t been photographed at every game, she was definitely at England’s 4-2 win during the group stage match between England and Croatia, at Dallas Stadium on 17th June.
Then, on the 1st July, she was present at England’s final group game against DR Congo, where she was seen arriving in the stands alongside other England players’ wives and girlfriends.
So far, Ashlyn hasn’t shared any photos from the games on her Instagram, but fans are hoping to get a cute little social media official moment when the couple are ready.
Who is Ashlyn Castro's famous ex-boyfriend?
Ashlyn was linked to none other than Academy Award winning actor Michael B. Jordan from Sinners. According to Fashion Times, the pair were photographed together in "late 2017, after she was seen with him at a private event in Los Angeles, where photographs showed her sitting on his lap."
Neither Michael not Ashlyn ever confirmed the rumours, so they could easily be just that: rumours. There does appear to be a video of them together circulating on Instagram, but it could just as easily be as friends or strangers who met for one night out.
The Sun have also linked her to basketball player LaMelo Ball, 23, while she also starred in a music video for DJ Khaled back in 2021 called ‘Popstar’.
Who else has Jude Bellingham dated?
According to The Sun, Jude was reportedly dating model Laura Celia Valk back in April 2024, and was said to be "completely smitten", however she confirmed she was single shortly afterwards.
Back in 2023, he was then thought to be dating model Asantewa Chitty, while he was previously linked to US TikTok creator Azra Mian.
Now all we need is some more PDA moments please, you two!
