You know you’re a high-profile couple when one of your first dates is at the White House.
That’s the case when it comes to Seattle Seahawks 26-year-old quarterback Russell Wilson and his girlfriend Ciara, who have quickly become one of the most popular duos in the sports world.
Sure, any quarterback who goes to consecutive Super Bowls is going to have a significant other who, by association, is a pretty popular figure. But Ciara, 29, doesn’t really need any help in that regard. Here’s everything you need to know about her:
1. She Has Released 6 Albums & Has 5 Top-10 Hits
Ciara Princess Harris, better known as Ciara, broke onto the music scene in 2004 with the release of her debut single, “Goodies.” The song hit No. 1 on the charts on September 11, 2004, and the album by the same name rose as high as No. 3 the next month.
Overall, Ciara has released six studio albums (highest chart ranking on the Billboard 200 in parenthesis): Goodies (No. 3), Fantasy Ride (No. 3), Basic Instinct (No. 44), Ciara: The Evolution (No. 1), Ciara (No. 2) and Jackie (No. 17).
In addition to her five top-10 singles, she has been nominated for five Grammy’s, she won the 2005 Grammy for Best Short-Form Music Video with “Lose Control,” and she has captured countless other awards and achievements.
2. She Has a Son With Rapper Future
Before Wilson, Ciara was most recently involved with Future, a 31-year-old rapper from Atlanta. Together, they had a son, Future Zahir Wilburn, who was born on May 19, 2014.
Wilson has taken quite a liking to baby Future and was memorably spotted playing with him during training camp. Rolling Stone‘s Stephen Rodrick captured the heart-warming moment:
Wilson lets his faceplate slip only once at camp; it’s when Ciara’s tiny son, Future, shows up with his nanny. Wilson trots to the sideline and takes 10 minutes to roll the kid a ball, play patty-cake and exchange high-fives. It’s a rare unscripted — or seemingly unscripted — moment for Wilson, whose greatest trait as a quarterback is his escapability on the field with defenders and off the field with the media.
Wilson’s relationship with baby Future hasn’t gone over so well with everyone, though. Adult Future has expressed his disdain of the situation, saying, “I’m cool with him being around him, but certain situations, we all in the public eye, you can’t move around with my son a certain kind of way.”
3. She & Wilson Are Abstaining From Sex
Never one to be shy about his beliefs, Wilson made national headlines during an interview with Pastor Miles of Rock Church, when he revealed he and Ciara were abstaining from sex:
She was on tour, she was traveling, and I was looking at her in the mirror, and she was sitting there and God spoke to me and said ‘I need you to lead her,’ and so I told her right then and there, what would you do if we took all that extra stuff off the table, and did it Jesus’ way (he later confirmed he was talking about sex)?
I ain’t gonna lie to ya’ll now, I need you to pray for us. If there’s a 10, she’s a 15. So I need ya’ll to pray for me.
“The thing about Russell is he’s real,” Ciara later said. “And that was a moment that got real real.”
4. She Often Joins Wilson in His Visits to the Children’s Hospital
For as talented as Wilson is on the field, he is just as impressive off of it. One of the things that has defined his career away from the gridiron has been his work with children, and more specifically, the fact he shows up at Seattle Children’s Hospital every Tuesday. It doesn’t matter if the Seahawks have a bye week or lost the Super Bowl two days earlier. Wilson is always there.
“Sunday is game day for me, but my best day is Tuesday when I visit Seattle Children’s,” he says. “All the amazing opportunities I’ve had on the field can’t compare to helping kids whose lives are on the line.”
Ciara undoubtedly has a busy schedule, but she often joins Wilson in helping to put smiles on the kids’ faces.
“She’s a special girl,” Wilson said in an interview with Erin Andrews. “She’s the light of the world.”
5. She Is Considered a Style Icon
Ciara has long drawn acclaim for her fashion. She has donned some of the most famous labels in the world, and most recently, she was named the face of the iconic and revolutionary Roberto Cavalli brand.
Her net worth is estimated to be $17 million.