‘It was really sad’ — Riyad Mahrez’s wife opens up on marriage to 'Highest-paid' African footballer

In a raw and emotional revelation, Taylor Ward has opened up about the pain of losing her beloved grandfather just days before her lavish wedding to Algerian star Riyad Mahrez. 

The couple’s third wedding ceremony in Lake Como was featured in Season Two of 'Married To The Game', slated for an April 8 release on Amazon Prime.

Ward, who rose to fame as a social media influencer and reality TV personality, revealed that the tragic loss of her grandfather cast a sombre shadow over what should have been one of the happiest times of her life. 

“I think opening up (on camera following her grandfather’s death) was really hard,” she confessed at the premiere screening of the new season, as reported by Daily Mail.

“My emotions just flow through the minute anyone mentions it, I get a tear in my eye… My grandfather is a huge part of our lives, obviously, and a huge loss. So yeah, just really sad, really.”

“It’s just one of those things, and you have to navigate through it as a family, and just be there for each other,” she added.

Riyad Mahrez, who famously helped Manchester City secure a historic treble before making a £30million move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli in the summer of 2023, also features heavily in the Amazon series. 

The deal with Al-Ahli saw Mahrez pen down a deal making him the highest-paid African footballer in the world.

But his sudden relocation to the Middle East came as a shock to Ward, a transition that played out publicly during Season One of the reality show.

“I felt like I had no choice,” Ward was seen saying tearfully in one of the episodes, highlighting the emotional strain of uprooting her life for love.

However, a year on, the influencer appears to have found her footing in their new Saudi surroundings. 

“I've definitely settled there now, and I think it definitely feels more like home than it did originally,” she said as per Daily Mail.

Taylor Ward and Riyad Mahrez’s relationship began in 2020, following his divorce from ex-wife Rita Janet Johal.

The couple became engaged in 2021, and held three lavish wedding ceremonies, including one in Lake Como. 

 Ward and Mahrez share a daughter named Mila.