How Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez went from Gucci shop assistant to Netflix star on I Am Georgina ... and a life of luxury beside football’s best-paid star
- After learning English as an au pair in Bristol, England, Georgina Rodriguez worked at a Gucci store in Serrano, a street in Madrid famous for its handbag shops
- She has modelled for Yamamay and Sheglam, has her own clothing line OM by G, and now her own Netflix reality show dropping on January 27
1. Simple childhood
Ronaldo’s partner had a humble upbringing, growing up in a small village, Jaca, in northern Spain. She always wanted to be a ballet dancer, but her parents couldn’t afford to send her to dance lessons so she decided on a career in retail. When she was old enough, she moved cities and began working as a waitress. According to The Sun, she was tired of being poor and moved to San Sebastian where she landed a job as a shop assistant.
2. Dreaming big dreams
Despite her circumstances, she was determined to create a different life for herself. In an interview with XL Semanal she said she knew that to further her career she would need to learn how to speak English. When she was 17 she moved to Bristol, England, where she became an au pair and earned around £10 (US$14) an hour. When she felt her language skills had developed, she headed to Madrid to follow her dream of a career in retail.
3. Making it in Madrid was tough
Her glamorous life may now be filled with luxury brands and designer labels, but when she moved to Madrid, Rodriguez described it as “horrible” because of the financial pressure she was under. According to The Sun, in her upcoming Netflix show, she says she was so broke that she ended up living in a flat that used to be a storage room. Rodriguez said she battled all year long because she couldn’t afford heating or air con so it was freezing in the winter and baking in the summer.