NEED TO KNOW

• Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence opened up to PEOPLE about his long-running relationship with his wife, Marissa, on Thursday, Feb. 5
• He recalls meeting his life partner back in fifth grade, saying that it was "close to" love at first sight for them
• The couple exchanged vows in 2021 and welcomed their first child together a few years later in January 2025

Trevor Lawrence has known his wife, Marissa, for most of his life, and they've seen each other through a lot over the years.

Speaking to PEOPLE at Radio Row on Thursday, Feb. 5, the 26-year-old quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars shares that he met his wife of five years when they were both in fifth grade.

"We haven't necessarily been dating since fifth grade," he explains. Regardless, they've "known each other for a long time."

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While they didn't spend all those years as a couple, Lawrence adds that they did date "a little bit" in grade school. They rekindled their relationship in high school and again in college, with him attending Clemson University and Marissa playing soccer at Anderson University.

"You know, from there on we've been going strong," he says about his relationship. All things considered, the NFL star says that it was "close to" love at first sight.

Lawrence also recognizes the value of their longstanding bond, saying, "We've seen each other grow up, and I think that's a really cool thing. And she's seen the best and worst of me, and she stuck around. I'm thankful for that."

"Just to have her in my corner, I think, is so important," he says elsewhere in the conversation. "I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have her, you know, just so much of our life. She manages everything so well. I think it takes a special person to do what she does and to have to kind of balance all the craziness that we go through."

Continuing to praise her, he says, "I mean, all the things that I would ever have wished for in a wife, she is all those things. Yeah. So it's, it's pretty special to have her and, and to know her for so long."

Together, the couple recently expanded their family after welcoming daughter Shae Lynn in January 2025.

"It's gone by really fast," Lawrence says about their first year as parents.

He describes himself as a "fun" and "goofy" dad, saying that his goal is to make his daughter "laugh as much as possible," adding, "That's the best thing: Hearing her laugh and just having fun running around."

Meanwhile, his wife is a bit more disciplined and is in charge of the schedule because "she's really good about that stuff."

Lawrence tells PEOPLE that he dreams of the day that he can play in the Super Bowl. However, this year, he will be watching at home in Florida with friends and family.

He'll rely on Zevo to keep the house bug-free when everyone's over.

"We love to host going back and forth [between inside and outside], and bugs are a problem with all the food," he says. "So it's been awesome for us and our family, and it's been a lifesaver for sure," he adds about the product.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger dated for seven years before calling it quits in 2015
• He has since been linked to several celebrities, including Gigi Hadid, Rita Ora and Shakira
• In early 2026, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that the driver and Kim Kardashian had "a romantic meetup" in Europe

Lewis Hamilton has been linked to a number of leading ladies over the years.

The Formula 1 superstar has been spotted with several high-profile women, but he’s pretty tight-lipped about his relationships. One of the few he’s ever confirmed was his seven-year romance with Nicole Scherzinger.

Following their split in 2015, Hamilton said he “learned the hard way” about keeping his personal life under wraps. Since then, he’s tried to keep his dating life a secret, although he's been linked to stars like Gigi Hadid, Rita Ora and Sofia Richie Grainge.

However in July 2025, Hamilton revealed that he hadn’t had a long-term relationship in close to a decade, explaining that his career has taken priority.

"I look at the other drivers, and I wonder how they're doing it. Some are having kids, some married, most of them have girlfriends. I really focused in these last ... particularly these last 10 years, get everything I can out of my performance. Then, when I retire, I can do whatever I want," he told RTBF.

Most recently in early 2026, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Hamilton and Kim Kardashian had a "romantic meetup" in Europe. In a video obtained by TMZ on Feb. 2, the two were spotted exiting the same SUV as they arrived at a hotel in Paris.

Here’s everything to know about Lewis Hamilton’s dating history.

Danielle Lloyd

When Hamilton was just a teenager, he met television personality Danielle Lloyd. The pair crossed paths at a nightclub in London, and after exchanging numbers, they stayed in touch. Reflecting on their romance, Lloyd says the pair dated for six months.

“We were both out with friends, but there was a bit of a spark and we swapped numbers. After that I went back to Liverpool and he lived in London but we stayed in touch,” Lloyd told the Daily Mail in July 2007.

While she says that Hamilton was a “lovely person,” their age and the distance between them led to the end of their relationship. The pair remained friendly, and Hamilton was even in attendance when Lloyd was crowned Miss England in 2004.

Jodia Ma

After Hamilton split from Lloyd, he met Jodia Ma through a mutual friend at a party in London. The pair had both been students at Cambridge Arts and Sciences College and reportedly became fast friends.

Hamilton and Ma dated for about four years and attended several events together, including the AutoSport Magazine awards in London in December 2006.

Nicole Scherzinger

In late 2007, Hamilton met former Pussycat Dolls singer Scherzinger when they were both attending an MTV awards ceremony. The couple soon began dating, with Scherzinger explaining that they were incredibly close.

“We are very similar and can relate to one another a lot. We are both driven people who are serious about our work, so we are very supportive of the time we do have together. Finding time for each other can get complicated, but we find a way to work it out. And it just makes things more interesting when we do get together,” Scherzinger shared with the Daily Mail in 2009, noting that the pair were “spiritually aligned” and had the same sense of humor.

While Scherzinger often attended races and the couple were spotted at events together, they kept the details of their relationship private. The couple went on to date on and off over the course of seven years.

While Hamilton told E! in December 2014 that he was “feeling pressure” from family members to get engaged, the couple ultimately called it quits for the final time a year later in 2015. At the time, Scherzinger said she was “devastated” about the split.

“I’m devastated that it didn’t work out. It was the hardest decision we had to make, but we made it together,” she said in a statement. “I love Lewis and I know he loves me. We wish nothing but happiness and the very best for one another. I’m trying to stay strong in my faith right now.”

Gigi Hadid

Shortly after Hamilton’s split from Scherzinger, he was linked to Gigi Hadid. The pair were spotted spending time together on several occasions, beginning with an amfAR gala in May 2015. Later that month, Hadid and a group of friends, including Kendall Jenner, attended the Formula 1 World Championship in France. The following day, the group was spotted on a yacht together, per photos obtained by the Daily Mail.

While the duo weren’t spotted together for quite some time, they were linked again in 2018 when Hamilton was announced as the new global brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger Men’s portfolio, per Grazia Magazine. The pair appeared in a campaign together and Hamilton even gave Hadid a driving lesson.

Rita Ora

Lewis was first photographed with Ora in May 2015 when they attended the same amfAR gala. The following month, they both happened to be guests on The Graham Norton Show. The pair remained friendly throughout the year and Hamilton even helped celebrate Ora’s 25th birthday that November.

In 2016, dating rumors began swirling around the pair, who were spotted out on several dinner dates together. In November of that year, Ora showed her support for Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The following month, Ora kept quiet when she was asked about the dating rumors, but the following month, she shared a video of the pair performing a musical duet in a now-deleted Instagram post, according to the Daily Mail.

Barbara Palvin

Hamilton was also linked to model Barbara Palvin in 2016. The pair were first photographed together while attending a L’Oreal party during Paris Fashion Week in March and then were seen sitting side-by-side at an amfAR gala in May as part of the Cannes Film Festival.

Later that summer, Palvin attended the F1 Grand Prix in Hungary and over the next few months, they were spotted together on several occasions, including the Venice Film Festival and London Fashion Week.

Winnie Harlow

In 2016, Hamilton was also rumored to be dating model Winnie Harlow. In July, she attended Hamilton’s Grand Prix victory party in London, an event where Ora was also in attendance, per the Daily Mail. Then, in September, Harlow and Hamilton both attended the GQ Men of the Year Awards and reports surfaced that the pair had been secretly dating for months.

Meanwhile, during an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show in October, Hamilton shared that he wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment.

“No I’m not. I was in a long-term eight-year relationship, so I’m focused on my racing and trying to win the championship this year,” Hamilton shared. “I don’t have any plans [for romance].”

However, the pair continued to spend time together and in early 2017, he even had a night out in London with both Harlow and Ora. In May, Hamilton was spotted spending time with Harlow at an amfAR gala in Cannes and just a few days later, Harlow showed her support for him at the ​​Monaco Grand Prix. They later were seen vacationing on a yacht off the coast of Monte Carlo. In July, they were spotted once again, this time enjoying each other’s company in Greece and were later seen getting cozy at a Grand Prix victory celebration.

They’ve continued to be friends through the years. In 2018, they posed together at the CFDA Fashion Awards and in 2019, Harlow cheered Hamilton on at a Formula 1 race.

“CONGRATULATIONS #44 So blessed to be able to cheer on my good friend @lewishamilton at #Monaco50 @f1 #DontCrackUnderPressure,” Harlow posted in a since-deleted Instagram post.

Sofia Richie Grainge

In January 2017, Hamilton attended a Balmain fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week, where he sat alongside Richie. Following the event, both Hamilton and Richie returned stateside, where they were spotted getting dinner together in Beverly Hills, per the Daily Mail.

Despite their 14-year age gap, the pair were often seen spending time together over the course of the next few months. That May, Hamilton and Richie looked close while getting lunch in West Hollywood.

The pair never confirmed their relationship. Richie began dating Scott Disick shortly after being spotted with Hamilton.

Nicki Minaj

Following Hamilton’s rumored romances with multiple models, he was briefly linked to Nicki Minaj. The pair had previously spent time together while sitting side-by-side at an Alexander Wang fashion show in 2016 but weren't romantically linked until a few years later.

In September 2018, the pair arrived together for the TommyXLewis Launch Party in New York City. While they didn’t confirm their relationship at the time, Minaj admitted there was a new man in her life.

“Well, there was a new boy but he and I kind of fell back a little bit. And then ....” she said with a laugh during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “And then there’s a newer ... yeah, fairly new. He’s been around for a couple wigs. But I don’t have a boy.”

Then just a few weeks after their red carpet appearance, Hamilton and Minaj shared photos riding an ATV in Dubai together.

“Caribbean tingz what I on. Me & Lewis gettin paper what ink dry on. #Versace,” Minaj captioned the shot.

Shakira

In May 2023, Shakira and Hamilton were spotted spending time together. After Shakira attended the 2023 F1 Grand Prix, the pair reportedly met when they crossed paths at Cipriani restaurant. Soon after, Shakira was photographed hanging with Hamilton and a group of friends during a boat outing in Miami.

Then, in June, Shakira was seen cheering on Hamilton during the F1 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain. After the event, Shakira and Hamilton headed to dinner with some pals, including Daniel Caesar, Fai Khadra and Mustafa — who shared a photo from the outing on his Instagram Stories. At the time, sources told PEOPLE that the singer and Formula 1 driver were keeping things “fun and flirty."

“They’re spending time together and in the ‘getting to know you’ stage,” a source who knew them both shared. “It’s fun and flirty.”

Later that same month, Shakira told Rolling Stone that she and Lewis were just "friends." She added, “What space do I have for a man right now?”

Read the original article on People