Ashlyn Harris Claims She and Ex Ali Krieger 'Weren't Intimate the Entire Part' of Their Nearly 4-Year Marriage: 'I Wasn't a Priority'
Ashlyn Harris didn't hold back when speaking about her marriage to ex-wife Ali Krieger, as she shared details about what led to their split.
“I felt so embarrassed and I felt so much shame that I didn’t know how to tell people that, like, oh, my wife doesn’t want to touch me or doesn’t want to be intimate or doesn’t want this,” Harris revealed on the “Naked Sports With Cari Champion” podcast — part of the iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network and The Black Effect Podcast Network — which aired on Monday, November 25.
“No, she can’t say that because we weren’t intimate the entire part of our marriage. So that’s … I mean, facts are just the facts. It is what it is,” she added.
Despite her “touchy-feely” nature, Harris revealed that Krieger lacked mutual affection toward her.
“I just felt like I wasn’t a priority,” Harris admitted. “I didn’t feel that sense of connection, whether emotional or physical. It was soccer, job, kids, and then somewhere down the line it was like, ‘Okay, what about me?'”
The retired professional athlete also reflected on how she coped with the situation.
Because of her “ability to serve other people,” she “became very, very good at dissociating,” until Harris reached a point where she “had nothing left” to give.
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Harris also recalled how she proposed an unconventional idea in her “last attempt” to save their relationship.
“I started trying all these things — let’s do an open marriage,” she said on the podcast.
“That’s not even me dude. If I’m not getting what I want and we want to keep this together, which also strains the public eye places on you,” Harris continued. “You feel like you can’t make the brave and hard decisions because you know the impact and wave that will come and that was my biggest fear.”
The pair, who began dating in 2010 while playing for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, married in 2019 and became parents to daughter Sloane, 3 and son Ocean, 2. Harris retired from soccer in November 2022, while Krieger ended her career after the 2023 NWSL season.
Harris filed for divorce on September 19, 2023, citing their marriage as “irretrievably broken,” according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
One month later, Krieger hinted something was going on when she referenced Beyoncé’s Lemonade album, which touches on infidelity, in a social media post.
"Preparing for playoffs while in my Beyoncé lemonade era," she wrote at the time.
"Love you and so proud of you!! These hoes ain’t loyal!! But me and your fans are," the soccer star's brother Kyle wrote alongside the post.
Since the split, Ashlyn has moved on with One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush. The two confirmed their romance in April after Sophia, 42, publicly came out as queer in a personal essay for Glamour. Sophia finalized her divorce from ex-husband Grant Hughes in August 2023.
Ashlyn also made clear she didn't step out on their relationship.
“[The biggest lie about the breakup is] that I’m constantly pegged as a cheater, which that is so far from the truth and she knows it,” Ashlyn said. “And it torched me."
“… She was in so much pain and rightfully so and I want to make room for her experience. I really thought she never thought I would leave. I don’t think she ever took me seriously," she added.