Steven Gerrard and wife Curran celebrate as they become grandparents on Bahrain holiday

Former England midfielder Steven Gerrard and his wife, Alex Curran, enjoyed a sun-soaked holiday in Bahrain with their newborn granddaughter as their eldest daughter, Lilly-Ella, welcomed her first child. The 45-year-old football manager and Curran, 43, posed for a three-generation photograph with Lilly-Ella and her newborn daughter, Lila Grey, at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, after Lilly shared a string of family snaps on Instagram.

Lilly-Ella, 21, revealed in July that she had welcomed a baby girl named Lila Grey, sharing a caption that read “My little family.” In subsequent posts, she showed a selfie with her newborn in bed and later carried her daughter in public, alongside her boyfriend Lee Byrne—the son of a jailed Irish gangster. The posts mark Gerrard’s first grandchild, coming as he and Curran posed with Lilly-Ella’s daughter on a family getaway in Bahrain.

Lilly-Ella has been in a relationship with Lee Byrne since October 2022. The couple’s public visibility has increased in recent weeks after Lilly announced the baby’s name and posted images of the newborn’s homecoming, which was marked by balloons, candles and a teddy in a pink-themed setting. Her pregnancy news was first confirmed in January, when she posted a positive test and wrote to her more than 222,000 Instagram followers: “Our little secret. The best news... mini us is on the way.”

The baby’s father, Lee Byrne, is the son of Kinahan Cartel figure Liam Byrne, who was jailed for involvement in a weapons plot. Byrne’s sentencing and subsequent release have been widely reported; he was released on an electronic tag under the government’s Early Release Scheme, after serving a portion of a five-and-a-half-year sentence and remaining on remand for about ten months before sentencing. Prosecutors described the case as involving a haul of firearms meant to mislead authorities, with weapons reportedly originating from abroad. The notes accompanying the reporting indicate no suggestion that Lee Byrne or any member of the Gerrard family is involved in crime.

Gerrard and Curran have four other children: Lilly, Lexie, Lourdes and Lio. The elder daughter’s relationship with Lee Byrne has drawn attention given Byrne’s family ties, but Gerrard publicly welcomed Lilly-Ella’s news and later commented on Lilly’s Instagram post, writing, “We can't wait. Congratulations and we love you.”

The family’s Bahrain trip adds a personal chapter to Gerrard’s ongoing post-playing career and public life. He has managed at Rangers and Aston Villa in recent years and has remained a high-profile figure in English football circles. The public posts show a family moment shared across social media, with the Gerrards embracing their role as grandparents while Lilly-Ella navigates new parenthood. The notes emphasize that there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Lee Byrne or the Gerrard family in connection with the events described, though Byrne’s father’s criminal history has been part of public reporting.