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Who Is Jude Bellingham Dating? Everything We Know in 2026

Jude Bellingham is dating Ashlyn Castro, and has been since late 2024. The Real Madrid and England midfielder - one of the most famous footballers on the planet after a 2026 World Cup in which he scored seven goals - has kept the relationship characteristically low-key, but the paper trail across nearly two years is unambiguous: a first sighting over lunch in Madrid in January 2025, matchdays spent with his family, a celebrated kiss after England beat Croatia at the 2026 World Cup, and regular appearances together deep into October 2026. It is his first publicly established relationship, and by every available account, a serious one.

By · Facts verified against named sources
Category: Love Life Reading time ~8 min
Jude Bellingham at the Laureus World Sports Awards
Jude Bellingham on the red carpet at the Laureus World Sports Awards. (Wikimedia Commons / Barcex, CC BY-SA 4.0)Image via Wikimedia Commons
Relationship StatusDating Ashlyn Castro

Together since late 2024

GirlfriendAshlyn Castro

Los Angeles influencer and creator

First Public SightingJanuary 2025

Lunch in Madrid after a Real Madrid match

Age23

Born June 29, 2003

Who Is Jude Bellingham Dating Right Now?

Jude Bellingham is dating Ashlyn Castro, and has been since late 2024. Nearly two years on, as of October 2026, they remain one of football most followed young couples - not because they court the attention, but because Bellingham is simply that famous, and because Castro has become a fixture in the stands wherever he plays. The relationship has never been announced with a statement or a hard launch post; instead it has been documented the modern way, through sightings: lunch in Madrid, seats alongside his parents at Real Madrid matches, the Madrid Open in April 2026, and a 2026 World Cup campaign during which cameras found her cheering him on again and again.

What makes the pairing notable is how deliberately private it has stayed despite the glare. Neither Bellingham nor Castro has spoken extensively about the relationship in interviews. The closest thing to a public declaration came on social media, where Bellingham has referred to her as my love in a birthday tribute, and where Castro has marked his milestones with quiet supportive posts. They do not do red carpets as a couple, they do not give joint interviews, and they have kept the mechanics of the romance - how they met, how they spend their time - almost entirely to themselves. For a 23-year-old global superstar, that restraint is itself a statement.

The seriousness, though, is visible in the details that have leaked out around the edges. Castro has been photographed with Bellingham's mother Denise - including at England's World Cup qualifier against Andorra in October 2026 - the kind of family integration that does not happen casually. She took a four-month break from Instagram at one point, stepping back from the spotlight after a wave of false rumors about her dating history, and addressed the speculation directly in a statement, saying she had only had three boyfriends and that people had made up a lot of things about her. Through it all, the relationship has held: from the first Madrid lunch in January 2025 to the autumn of 2026, every data point says the same thing.

Who Is Ashlyn Castro, Jude Bellingham's Girlfriend?

Ashlyn Castro is a Los Angeles-based influencer and content creator who had already built a substantial career before her name was ever linked to Bellingham. She shares fashion, beauty and lifestyle content across Instagram and TikTok, where her audience approaches a million followers - a following built on travel shoots, modeling work and collaborations with brands including Pretty Little Thing and Clarins. Her resume also includes a brush with mainstream music culture: she appeared in DJ Khaled 2021 music video for Popstar, featuring Drake.

Castro, who is in her late twenties, is originally from California, and her path to influencer success followed the now-familiar arc of the late-2010s creator economy: consistent content, brand partnerships, and a personal aesthetic polished enough to attract luxury labels. Those who have profiled her note that she was already established - with management-company ventures of her own - well before football fans learned her name. That matters, because it reframes the relationship: this is not a case of sudden fame by association, but of two people with independent public profiles choosing to keep their private life private.

Her handling of the spotlight since going public with Bellingham has been notably disciplined. Apart from the statement addressing false rumors about her past - in which she pushed back on fabricated stories, including claims that placed her in countries she had never visited - she has largely let her appearances do the talking: in the stands, with his family, present for the biggest moments of his career. It is a low-drama approach that mirrors his own.

How Jude Bellingham and Ashlyn Castro Met: Relationship Timeline

Neither Bellingham nor Castro has ever publicly revealed how they met, which leaves the timeline to be reconstructed from sightings and social media breadcrumbs - all of which point to late 2024 as the beginning.

DateMilestone
Late 2024Followers notice Bellingham and Castro interacting on Instagram; dating rumors begin (per People)
Jan 2025First photographed together: lunch in Madrid after a Real Madrid match
Early 2025Castro spotted with Bellingham parents at Real Madrid matches, including during his suspension
Apr 2026Attend the Madrid Open together
Jun 17, 2026Photographed sharing a kiss after England beat Croatia 4-2 at the 2026 World Cup in Dallas
Jul 2026Spotted together throughout England World Cup knockout run
Oct 2026Castro photographed with Bellingham mum Denise at England World Cup qualifier vs Andorra

The January 2025 lunch in Madrid was the hinge moment: the first time the two were photographed together in person, turning months of Instagram speculation into something tangible. What followed was a steady escalation in visibility without any corresponding escalation in commentary. She began appearing in the family section at Real Madrid games - a signal, in football culture, that a relationship is serious. By the spring of 2026 they were attending the Madrid Open as a couple, comfortable being seen together at one of the social events of the tennis calendar.

Then came the World Cup, and with it the most public chapter yet. Bellingham was one of the stars of the 2026 tournament, scoring seven goals as England finished third, and Castro was there for the ride - in the stands for the group stage, and memorably on the pitch-side cameras after the 4-2 win over Croatia on June 17, 2026, when the couple shared a celebratory kiss that spread across social media within minutes. It was probably the clearest public confirmation of the relationship to date, delivered without a single word from either of them.

The 2026 World Cup: Their Most Public Chapter Yet

The 2026 FIFA World Cup did for Bellingham and Castro what major tournaments always do for footballers partners: it made the private public, whether they wanted it or not. Bellingham arrived at the tournament as one of its defining stars - his seven goals made him England all-time highest scorer in a single World Cup - and every England match brought a new round of who is she photographs of Castro in the stands. She handled the surge the way she has handled everything: by showing up, supporting him, and saying nothing.

The standout moment came on June 17, 2026, after England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their group-stage match at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Photographers captured the couple sharing a kiss in the celebrations that followed - an image that traveled the world and functioned, for most observers, as the relationship public coming-out, eighteen months after it began. She was also photographed with his family members at matches throughout the knockout rounds, and the two were seen together around the tournament as England marched to a third-place finish.

What is striking, in retrospect, is how little the World Cup changed their approach. There were no staged couple photos, no tournament diary content, no leveraging of the moment. Castro simply continued doing what she had been doing since early 2025: being present. In October 2026, months after the tournament, she was still there - photographed alongside Bellingham's mother Denise in the stands for England's World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona. The message of that image, intentional or not, was continuity: the World Cup spotlight came and went, and the relationship carried on exactly as before.

Before Ashlyn Castro: Jude Bellingham's Dating Rumors

Before Castro, Bellingham dating history was a near-blank slate - which is part of why the Castro relationship, his first publicly established one, attracted so much attention. There were, however, two names that surfaced in the rumor mill, and both deserve honest treatment.

The more substantial was Laura Celia Valk, a Dutch fashion model. In 2024, The Sun reported that Bellingham was dating Valk, claiming she had been staying at his Madrid home and telling colleagues on modeling jobs about the relationship. The story had the tabloid hallmarks - anonymous sourcing, on-set gossip - and neither Bellingham nor Valk ever confirmed it. Whatever it was, it was short-lived: by late 2024, the Castro links had begun, and Valk has not been part of his story since.

The other was Azra Mian, an American TikTok creator, who was linked to Bellingham in online chatter over the years. As Cosmopolitan noted when examining the rumor, there was never any public evidence the two were together, and neither ever addressed the speculation. It belongs in the unsubstantiated category - the kind of internet rumor that attaches to every famous young athlete and evaporates on contact with facts.

Taken together, the pre-Castro record is thin to the point of transparency: a tabloid report that went nowhere and an internet rumor with no evidence. That context makes the Castro relationship stand out even more - it is not one chapter among many, but the chapter.

What Is Next for Jude Bellingham and Ashlyn Castro

As of October 2026, Bellingham and Castro are approaching the two-year mark - a significant milestone for any young couple, let alone one navigating the pressures of global superstardom. On the pitch, Bellingham remains the centerpiece of Real Madrid and England, coming off a World Cup that cemented his place among the world elite. Off it, the relationship appears settled into a sustainable rhythm: she travels to his matches, spends time with his family, and maintains her own career and public profile alongside his.

The questions people ask about young celebrity couples - engagement, marriage, the next step - have not been answered, because they have not been asked in any forum the couple recognizes. There have been no credible reports of an engagement, and neither has given any interview suggesting one is imminent. What there has been is consistency: nearly two years of showing up for each other, from Madrid lunches to World Cup kisses to rainy qualifiers in Barcelona.

If the pattern of the last two years holds, the future will look much like the present - selective, genuine, and private. Bellingham and Castro have built the rarest thing in modern football culture: a high-profile relationship that the public knows about but does not feel entitled to. As of 2026: dating since late 2024, first photographed January 2025, together through the 2026 World Cup and beyond - and still, stubbornly, on their own terms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jude Bellingham dating?

Jude Bellingham is dating American influencer Ashlyn Castro. The pair were first linked in late 2024, were first photographed together in January 2025, and are still together as of October 2026.

Who is Ashlyn Castro?

Ashlyn Castro is a Los Angeles-based influencer and content creator who shares fashion, beauty and lifestyle content with an audience approaching a million followers across Instagram and TikTok. She has worked with brands like Pretty Little Thing and Clarins and appeared in DJ Khaled 2021 music video for Popstar.

How did Jude Bellingham and Ashlyn Castro meet?

They have never publicly revealed how they met. Followers first noticed them interacting on Instagram toward the end of 2024, according to People, and Cosmopolitan reported they were thought to have matched on the celebrity dating app Raya before being linked.

How long have Jude Bellingham and Ashlyn Castro been together?

Since late 2024 - nearly two years as of October 2026, making it his first publicly established relationship.

Did Jude Bellingham date Laura Celia Valk?

He was briefly linked to Dutch model Laura Celia Valk in 2024 after a report in The Sun, but the link was never confirmed by either of them and predates his relationship with Ashlyn Castro.

Is Jude Bellingham married?

No. Jude Bellingham has never been married and has not announced an engagement.

How old is Jude Bellingham?

Jude Bellingham is 23 years old. He was born on June 29, 2003, in Stourbridge, England.

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