After years of speculation among fans, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have confirmed that they have been dating for the past eight years.
The U.S. soccer stars talked about their love lives on the July 28 episode of Peacock's Olympics show “Watch with Alex Cooper.”
“Tobin and I weren't really friends. We weren't in the same circles. But when I got to know her, there was just this instant attraction,” Press said, reflecting on the early days of his relationship with Heath. “And I knew that was what I wanted, and I never looked back. I still feel the same way now.”
“Someone said to us the other day, 'Oh man, these people just met recently. They seem to be in love,'” Press continued. “And I said, 'No, it's been eight years.'”
Heath also spoke of his joy and gratitude for their relationship.
“Sometimes we look at each other and wonder, is this really real? Are we so lucky?” she said.
Heath, 36, and Press, 35, both played for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. Heath was a member of the team at the Olympics, winning two gold medals, and both Heath and Press brought home a bronze medal at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Press and Heath were also members of the 2015 and 2019 World Cup winning teams.
Although the pair did not publicly acknowledge they were dating for several years, Press said people close to them had known about their relationship for much longer.
“My teammates knew. … We never stayed in the closet or hid. We always knew what was going on around us,” she said.
But Heath said they wanted to keep their relationship in a “protected bubble,” especially while they were playing on the same team, but that began to change once they were no longer teammates on the U.S. national team.
“It wasn't until we weren't playing on the same team that it became a little bit easier for us to come forward and share a little bit of that relationship,” Press said.
To know more about their long-term romance, read on.
Heath said she found Press “a bit enigmatic” when they first met.
It is unclear when Heath and Press first met, but it was likely around the time Press joined the U.S. national team.
Press was named an alternate forward for the U.S. team at the 2012 London Olympics, while Heath was a midfielder.
In a recent interview with Alex Cooper, Heath spoke about what first drew him to the press.
“She's really good at scoring goals. I'm not that good at scoring goals. I thought maybe I could learn a little bit,” she joked.
Heath expanded on his first impressions of Press during a recent episode of the podcast, “The RE-CAP Show with Tobin Heath and Christen Press.”
“I always thought you were a bit of an enigma,” Heath said. “You seemed a bit like an outsider and I was a bit curious about who you were.”
“There are a lot of unique people on the team, but in your case, I feel like not a lot of people know about how you got on the team,” she added, “And I was really curious, I was like, who is this woman?”
They didn't start dating right away after they met.
As Heath and Press said in a recent interview with Cooper, they've been together for eight years. — This means they started dating around 2016.
They had previously played together on the U.S. national team for several years.
They were often photographed celebrating victories on the field with other teammates, including during a friendly match in the Netherlands in 2013.
Press and Heath were subsequently selected to play for the national team that played in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, which the United States ultimately won.
In 2019, he co-founded the lifestyle brand.
In 2019, Press and Heath co-founded lifestyle brand RE-INC with fellow soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Megan Klingenberg.
According to its website, the brand offers “eco-conscious fashion” and “creative products” designed for “all gender identities and body types”, as well as a membership platform.
The duo have also teamed up with the lifestyle brand to launch “The RE-CAP Show,” a podcast that discusses global football and women's sport.
“We're teammates, we're roommates, we're co-CEOs,” Press said in a recent interview with Cooper. “We're co-hosts of a show. We do pretty much everything together. It's what we're good at.”
“So it's a good thing I love you,” she added to Heath with a laugh.
Press and Heath played for the same British club team in 2020.
Press and Heath signed one-year contracts with Manchester United Women's football team in England in 2020.
According to ESPN, Heath had to leave the team earlier than planned due to an ankle injury, but Press finished the season with 17 appearances and four goals.
“Thank you for an amazing season with @manutdwomen,” Press wrote on Instagram in May 2021. “I learned so much playing alongside such a humble, ambitious, hardworking team. You all keep me young! GGMU!!”
Press signed with Angel City Football Club of the NWSL for 2021 and has been working his way back from injury, recently returning to training with the team.
Over the past few years, Heath and Press have fueled dating rumors by sharing affectionate posts of each other on social media.
In 2021, Press shared a selfie of her with Heath's arm around her during a winter outing.
In September 2023, Heath shared a smiling photo of himself with Press with the caption, “You brighten up my world.”
Back in April, Heath shared a photo of her and Press embracing each other in a field of yellow flowers, with the caption, “Wild ones.”
And in May, Press posted a picture of herself cuddling up to Heath in celebration of her partner's birthday.
“I've been so busy making it the best day ever for you that I didn't have time to do a birthday post so… HBD+1 @tobinheath,” she wrote in the caption.
The two have also been spotted holding hands on several occasions at public events.
The pair were photographed linking pinkies at the 2023 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, and in December 2022, they held hands on the red carpet while attending the Grassroot Soccer World AIDS Day Gala in New York City.
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