The Matildas are absolute icons. They're our favourite athletes and our favourite celebrities all wrapped into one fabulous package. One of the biggest stars on the team is Katrina Gorry.
Gorry was a crowd favourite during the Women's World Cup, many mothers in particular counting themselves as Gorry fans. Coming back to work outside the home after having a baby is difficult for any parent — particularly when that job involves you being at peak performance and playing for your country.
When Gorry signed with Norwegian football club Avaldsnes IL in early 2020, she decided she would undergo IVF there on her own. She went through five days of injections followed by a 36-hour trigger shot before they collected her eggs.
Soon afterwards, she was expecting her first child.
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Gorry gave birth to her daughter Harper on August 16, 2021. When Harper was six months old, they went to Sweden where Gorry was signed with a Swedish football club. It was there that she met her future fiancé Clara Markstedt, a Swedish footballer.
"When I went over to Sweden, love was not something I wanted to think about. It was just me and Harper. I never wanted to get married, and I think I had pushed away love or being in a relationship," she explains on Mamamia's No Filter this week.
Initially, Gorry says she was "oblivious" to Markstedt's interest in her. She figured they were good mates. But soon enough, the duo were dating.
"I had got to see her with Harper before that [dating]. So I knew how she was with her and there was just something different about it. I had never trusted anyone like that before. I felt this intense love that I'd never even thought I was capable of. We worked so well as a team," she says.
The following year after giving birth, Gorry returned to the Matildas. She was named Player of the Match in her first game back against New Zealand, and joined the World Cup team in November 2022.
"Coming back after having Harper, I've never felt so good in my life," Gorry says.
There have been times though where Gorry didn't know if she could carry on doing what she loves most.
"For quite a few years I had some real body issues, I had an eating disorder. I wasn't really enjoying football like I used to and I kind of resented it. I spent so much time away from family and it was hard," she explains.
"As soon as I fell pregnant I had this new love and respect for my body. I put on weight, I felt like a walking bowling ball and it as the coolest thing. I had no pressure on myself and for those nine months it was the best thing in my life."
In November 2023, Gorry and Markstedt announced they were expecting a baby together, with Markstedt carrying their child. They shared the news on social media with the caption: "Adding more love to our love story."
The arrival of their baby boy is now imminent.
"I want more kids. I'd never wanted her [Harper] to be an only child," says Gorry. "I always wanted her to have siblings. We've obviously brought Harper up together now, Clara and I. It happened first go for us the IVF and it's just been crazy."
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Gorry says it's also been a powerful experience to watch her partner carry their unborn son, adding: "I think it'd be pretty cool experiencing the labour with her. I mean for me, I had my mum and my sister. But to now have someone to go through it with, is lovely."
It's also an exciting time because Gorry is gearing up for the Paris Olympics in August this year.
"We'll have the two kids by then, my mum will be there to help, and it's going to be incredible. Hopefully, it won't be my last tournament, I think there'll be quite a lot of players who will probably retire at the end of this tournament. It's so hard to keep going and push yourself, but we'll see," she tells No Filter.
Mamamia's No Filter guest host Libby Trickett told Gorry that her own daughter has now decided she wants to be a Matilda after watching the Women's World Cup in 2023. As soon as Trickett shared that story, Gorry became visibly emotional.
"Now you've got me emotional! When you put it like that, it's pretty incredible. You don't realise the impact you're having. To see the turnout, that people are watching the games at their wedding, to see the little boys and girls walking around in their Matildas jerseys — it almost makes you cry," she says.
"I think to have kids on the sidelines is the best thing in the world, especially players who are parents. I think it inspires other players to know they can do it too."
It's with this in mind, that Gorry thinks about the legacy she hopes to leave for her daughter Harper.
"She's going to have so many opportunities now because of women that have paved the way for us and continue to pave the way. I just hope that she just thinks that I'm the best and coolest mum in the world. I'm just excited to watch her grow, because I think she's going to turn into a pretty powerful little human."
You can listen to the full interview on No Filter here.
Feature Image: Instagram @katrinagorry10.
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