THE PARENTS of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham have reportedly separated.
Mark, 49, and Denise, 57, raised Jude and his younger brother Jobe in Stourbridge, near Birmingham.
Denise and Mark Bellingham have reportedly separated[/caption]
The couple raised footballers Jude and Jobe Bellingham[/caption]
The couple have been together for over 20 years[/caption]
The England international, 22, has credited his parents with his success throughout his career, with the pair having given up their respective careers to support him and his brother.
But now, according to reports, the couple have split up, with the Mail publishing images of Mark appearing to grow close to another woman, with emerged on social media.
The couple set alarm bells off earlier this month when German outlet Bild reported on them sitting apart from each other during Borussia Dortmund star Jobe’s game against Athletic Bilbao.
The pair were said to have avoided conversation, with Mark almost exclusively talking to a family member sat between them.
Bild also reported “a dangerous atmosphere of tension surrounding the family,” which they claim is affecting the younger brother on the field.
The pair started spending more time away from each other five years ago, when Denise followed Jude to Germany to support his own career with Dortmund.
Mark, who also acts as an agent for his sons, stayed in the UK to support Jobe, who was still on Birmingham’s books at the time.
After the footballer brothers secured further moves, to Spain and Germany respectively, their parents split their time between the three countries.
Now, new images have emerged of Mark, a former police sergeant, being friendly with another woman, West Mercia police officer Shelley Punshon.
The Mail claims that the Stourbridge resident uploaded images of her and Bellingham to her public Facebook account in August, which have since been deleted.
The duo appear in the picture on a woodland path, both smiling as Bellingham drapes his arm around her.
It is not known how or when Bellingham and Punshon – a divorced mother of two – initially met.
It is also not known when Mark and Denise formally ended their relationship, having been together for over two decades.
However, it is clear to see the importance that the couple had on their sons’ development.
Jude has often heaped credit onto his mother for his career success, with her staying by his side for his entire career thus far.
He has said: “Without my mum, sometimes I’d get too low with the lows or too high with the highs and I stay pretty humble because I’ve got her around.
“She’s a great laugh as well. We get on so well, and we’re always doing stuff together. The role my mum is playing is massive.
“It’s probably the biggest role of anyone, more than my coaches and managers, to be honest.”
Jude also attributes his love of the game to his father, who he grew up watching as he juggled his policing career with a prolific record in non-league football, being attributed with over 700 goals before his retirement at age 40.
Mark acts as an agent to his sons[/caption]
Both parents gave up their careers to support their sons’ football journeys[/caption]
A German outlet has claimed the tension is affecting Jobe’s performances in Dortmund[/caption]
“We talk about footballing heroes, and my dad was like my first,” Jude told the FA website in 2021.
“When you go and watch him play every week in non-League, you know it’s not the Premier League or anything, but seeing the way that he played and the atmosphere, it made me fall in love with football so he was probably my first hero.”
Mark’s passion for his sons’ careers was clear to see at the start of the season, when he was reportedly involved in a heated confrontation with a Borussia Dortmund chief over the decision to substitute Jobe at half-time.
He stormed down to the dressing room after Jobe was withdrawn by manager Niko Kovac during their season-opening draw with St Pauli.
He is said to have gotten into a fierce discussion with sporting director Sebastian Kehl over the decision, as well as the general performance of the 20-year-old’s teammates, leading to the club banning all players’ families from entering the dressing room.
He’s not the only brother who has found himself snubbed of late, with Jude left out of the England squad during the current international break by manager Thomas Tuchel.
England saw Wales off 3-0 last week without their star midfielder, who Tuchel explained was left out as he wanted to select as similar a squad as possible to the last international break, to build stability.
Jude was unavailable for that set of games as he completed his rehabilitation after undergoing surgery for a recurring shoulder issue at the end of last season.
The Englishman has featured in half of Madrid‘s eight league games so far this season, but is yet to register a goal or assist.
