Soccer Star Ashlyn Harris Breaks Silence on Ali Krieger Divorce: ‘I Did Not Step Out on My Marriage’
Ashlyn Harris has broken her silence on her ongoing divorce from Ali Krieger, denying rumors that she had been unfaithful.
“Several weeks ago, a process that had been ongoing privately for some time became public. Ending a relationship after almost 13 years of friendship, teammate-ship, marriage and coparenting (many of them good years) is a decision that was not made lightly,” Harris, 38, wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement on Saturday, November 18. “We agreed to center our children, continue therapy, separate and to move forward with our lives.”
She continued: “Two happy families are always better than one unhappy one. This process is never easy, but we were making our way through.”
Us Weekly confirmed in September that Harris filed for divorce from Krieger, 39, after four years of marriage. Harris and Krieger met in 2010 while both playing for the USWNT, getting married in December 2019. They share daughter Sloane, 2, and son Ocean, 14 months.
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Neither Harris nor Krieger publicly addressed their breakup immediately after Harris filed for divorce. According to Harris’ Saturday post, their “agents, representation and friends” allegedly advised them to remain quiet until the end of Krieger’s final season. (Krieger played her last professional soccer game in the NWSL final on November 11.)
“A leak (a betrayal of our deepest confidence) made that impossible. The online hate that has happened since has been one of the most personally devastating experiences of my life,” Harris claimed in her social media statement, noting she’s been trying to avoid “[feeding] the beast” with gossip. “I have tried to let the fire burn out and what I’ve experienced has devastated my mental health. This has been brutal.”
After Harris filed for divorce, rumors surfaced that she started dating actress Sophia Bush. Harris has not confirmed if she is seeing the One Tree Hill alum, 41. (Bush is in the middle of her own divorce with Grant Hughes, filing to dissolve her marriage in August after less than two years.)
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“Not all marriages last forever. Ours did not. For many reasons,” Harris wrote, denying accusations that she cheated on Krieger. “Let me be clear: I did not step out on my marriage. I was always faithful in my marriage, if not always totally happy.”
Harris elaborated that she and Krieger had done “work and therapy” on their relationship long before she filed for divorce. “None of this happened on a whim,” she noted. “We spent the entire summer working to tackle the separation and divorce steps outlined for us by our therapists, lawyers and our shared agency.”
Harris asserted that her main priority moving forward, “as it always has been,” is Sloane and Ocean’s well-being.
“My priority is being a good coparent to them with Ali,” Harris concluded. “Despite this current darkness, there have been years of love between us. And our kids are the best part of it all. They deserve two healthy and happy parents, and that’s what matters most. We are all in pain.”
