Enrique Iglesias & Anna Kournikova Have Kept Their Love Strong After 21 Years Even Without Getting Married

Aug 22, 2022 by apost team

Despite being loved up for 21 years, Latin singing sensation Enrique Iglesias and former professional tennis player Anna Kournikova have managed to keep their partnership mostly under wraps, with rare public appearances together and only occasional updates on family life via social media. 

The pair met on the set of Iglesias’s music video for “Escape” in 2001, in which their steamy scenes together sparked rumors they were dating. This did turn out to be the case, and at first, sparked a media frenzy owing to the fact that both of them were stars in their own right in their fields.

Iglesias was born on May 8, 1975, in Madrid, Spain. His father, Julio, was already a world-famous singer. His mother Isabel Preysler was a journalist from the Philippines. Iglesias was inspired to become a singer and began his career with the release of a self-titled Spanish language debut album in 1995. He would follow this up with “Vivir” in 1997 and “Cosas Del Amor” in 1998. In 1999, he would achieve crossover success with the song “Bailamos,” which appeared on the “Wild Wild West” soundtrack and reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts. After releasing his first English language album “Enrique,” he followed it up with his second, “Escape,” the most successful record of his career. This sealed his status as a Latin sensation, playing sold-out shows and recording songs with the biggest names in the industry.

As Iglesias was at the peak of his career when he started dating Kournikova and she, too, was still playing tennis professionally at the time, the media were desperate to capture the two together. Read on to find out how they were able to keep their relationship private and the secret behind their love despite never getting married.

Kournikova was already known as the darling of the women’s tennis tour when she was approached to star in Iglesias’s music video. Born on June 7, 1981, in Moscow, Russia, she began her sports career playing local tournaments at the age of 8. Her innate talent attracted tennis scouts and by 10, she was whisked off to train in Florida at Nick Bollettieri’s famous academy.

Kournikova made her debut on the WTA tour in 1995 at 14, and by 1996, was named WTA Newcomer of the Year. By the end of the season, she was ranked No. 57 in the world. In 1998, she breached the top 20 before reaching a career-high of No. 8 in 2000, a ranking made more impressive by the fact that she had never won a singles title. However, injuries began to plague her in the 2000s, and in 2003, she announced her retirement from the sport. 

Outside the sport, Kournikova was in high demand. Endorsements for brands such as Adidas, Omega, Yonex and Berlei saw her become one of the wealthiest women in sports. Her high profile also led to her becoming the most searched-for athlete on Google in 2008. Her attractive features also led to her gracing the covers of numerous magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Maxim, FHM and GQ, as well as Forbes’ March 2000 issue with the front-page headline “The New Stars of Money.”

With such fame and success, it’s surprising that Iglesias and Kournikova, who were 26 and 20, respectively, when they met, have been able to last what would be considered a lifetime in the entertainment industry. But last they have, and in 2017, they welcomed their first bundles of joy, fraternal twins Nicholas and Lucy, before Mary, born in 2020, joined them. 

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Despite being one of the most stable celebrity couples, Iglesias is constantly hounded about his and Kournikova’s marital status. The pair have never married, as Iglesias had “never really thought marriage would make a difference,” he told Parade, adding “nowadays, it’s not taboo to have kids and not be married. What makes a difference is that you’re a good parent, period.”

Kournikova, meanwhile, had told People in 2008 that heading down the aisle is not a goal for her. “I’m never getting married,” she said, reiterating to Women’s Health in 2020 that marriage “isn’t important to me. I’m in a happy relationship — that’s all that matters. … I believe in commitment. I believe in being open and trusting each other and respecting each other completely.”

Iglesias has made no secret of the fact that he loves being a dad, telling Entertainment Tonight he’s a hands-on father. “I’m not sleeping, but I'm having a great time! I mean, I wouldn’t change it for nothing in the world,” he said. When asked whether he’s changing baby diapers, he replied “I actually am. I'm pretty hands on.”

He also shared some sweet anecdotes about his kids with SiriusXM, saying they had watched the “Escape” music video that had brought mom and dad together.

“Whenever they hear one of my songs they can actually recognize my voice, which is pretty cool. But when they watch that video, I think it does throw them off a little bit. ‘What is Mom doing there?’ you know, ‘with Dad’ you know? ‘When was this?’ It’s actually incredible to watch the expression on their faces. It’s pretty cool.”

While wedding bells may not be tolling anytime soon for these two sweethearts, they are becoming more open about sharing moments with their loving family online.

What do you think of Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova’s low-key relationship? Do you feel their decision not to get married is a good one? Let us know and remember to pass this on to all the lovebirds you know.