Boxing champ Kellie Harrington has not ruled out starting a family with her new wife – saying children would be a blessing.
Asked if they were planning kids, the Olympic gold medallist, who tied the knot last weekend, mysteriously replied: “Who knows?”
Kellie, 32, told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “If they [children] come, bless them, they’ll come.”
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The lightweight amateur became the second Irish woman after Katie Taylor to win an Olympic gold with a win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last summer.
Dublin boxing hero Kellie married her long-time partner Mandy Loughlin, 32, in an intimate ceremony after 10 years together as a couple.
Opening up on her big day, Kellie revealed: “It was brilliant, it was absolutely amazing.
“We got great weather for it too, it was like four seasons in one day.”
Kellie is now in training for the Women’s World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey next month meaning honeymoon plans will have to take a back seat.
She said: “We’re away to a camp in Italy soon and then straight on to Turkey.
“Mandy has always been supportive of what I do and I’ve always been supportive of what she does.
“Boxing doesn’t last forever but me and Mandy hopefully will.”
Kellie and Mandy’s fur babies – their beloved French bulldog Nidge and their staffie Maisie – were there on their big day.
Kellie laughed: “It wouldn’t be your special day if you didn’t have your fur babies there.
“They’re family and I prefer to be surrounded by my fur babies who are 100% loyal, unless I’m holding a bit of ham or chicken.
“We were both delighted that we could have them there.”
Earlier this week Kellie revealed she has not been in contact with Katie Taylor since she turned pro.
But she said she will be rooting for her on April 30 as she defends her title against Amanda Serrano in New York.
She said: “I can’t make a prediction as I don’t know what Serrano is like but I really hope that Katie does the business.
“From one Irish person to another hopefully she will do it.
“For me personally I don’t want to go professional, I’ll be staying amateur.
“The fact is that professional boxing is a business. If I want to be a business person I’ll set up a business. I don’t need to get punched in the head for it.”
The proud Dubliner, who grew up in Portland Row in the north inner city, said she is still every bit as ambitious since tying the knot.
She revealed: “The fighting edge is still there, the drive is to be better each day than I was the day before, the sense of purpose and some structure and something to get out of bed for early in the morning to train. I’ve a very supportive wife and family.
“It feels really weird saying wife.
“We didn’t take each other’s names, I’m Kellie Harrington and I always will be.
“It was nice of Brooklyn Beckham to take his wife’s name.”
In the medium term Kellie is gearing up for the next Olympics and plans to retire after that, at the age of 34.
She said: “I’m trying to qualify for Paris, if it happens it happens, if it doesn’t it doesn’t but I’ll try everything to make it happen. I’ll be 34 for the next Olympics. You can box until you’re 40, it’s normally the cut off point.
“But I’ll be out at 34, I’ll just live a normal life, I have a job.”
Her job in the healthcare service keeps her grounded though she admits it can be gruelling at times.
She said: “I’m household staff in St Vincent’s Hospital Fairview, it’s great and so busy.
“It’s not hard if you love it, I love interacting with the patients.
“I’ve the same love for the patients as I do for the community.”
Kellie, a past pupil of North William Street girls school, said it fills her heart when young girls come up to her.
She explained: “They look at me for ages smiling and say, ‘You were in my school, I seen you on the telly and you were in the Olympics’.
“It’s magic because some of those kids may never even have known what the Olympics were until 2021.”
Heaping praise on her tight knit community, the SPAR community road show ambassador said: “In the community where I’m from there are boxing clubs on every corner.
“It’s a real fighting spirit in our community, people in the inner city have great resilience.
“There are waiting lists now to get into the clubs in the city.” Kellie’s own boxing hero is Belfast native Michael Conlan.
She said: “Michael Conlan has always been my hero, from an amateur to a pro. I’ve always followed him. I just love his style.
“He’s so versatile he can mix it up.”
What keeps her determined?
“To be one per cent better today than I was yesterday, you’re not going to grow an extra arm, you just have to try to be a better person, whether that’s in sport or life, just to be a better person.”
- SPAR and Kellie are inviting all community groups across the country to apply for a chance to win €2,000 in funding each and a visit from SPAR ambassador Kellie. Applications will remain open until Friday, May 20
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