As Maro and Mimi Itoje stride into the bar at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel, there’s a discernible shift in the atmosphere. Heads turn and conversations pause; on a grey winter afternoon, their glamour lands like a welcome injection of dopamine.
One of the most celebrated figures in world sport, the 6ft 6in captain of the England, British & Irish Lions and Saracens rugby teams radiates the confidence of a born leader, while his luminous wife of nine months is elegant and poised. Together, they’re the definition of a modern British power couple – and as the day unfolds, it’s clear that they’re still in the honeymoon phase.
The newlywed glow lingers as the pair sweetly compliment and gently tease each other about everything from who’s the most romantic – Maro protests when Mimi says it’s her – to who’s better at Reformer Pilates (“it’s my thing, but I found out he was doing classes behind my back”, Mimi laughs).
“2025 was a wonderful year in many respects,” says Maro, who led the Lions to victory on their Australian tour. “The personal highlight was getting married to Mimi.”
Fairytale weddings
The couple’s British wedding took place at Farm Street Church, Mayfair, in May and was followed in August by a lavish Nigerian celebration in Covent Garden, featuring traditional Urhobo dress, food and rituals that reflected Maro’s family’s tribe.
“Even though we were already married, I went in with my groomsmen and formally asked Mimi’s family for their permission to marry her,” he says. “Then we had a big, very fun party.”
Mimi adds: “Straight after the [May] wedding, Maro had to go to Australia, so we’ve only really been experiencing married life at home in London for the past three or four months. It’s been lovely.”
It couldn’t be more fitting that the reason we’re here today is diamonds – timeless symbols of love and commitment. Last month, Maro was named the first male ambassador for Astrea London, the luxury lab-grown diamond brand in which he is also a stakeholder.
His appointment coincided with the launch of its debut men’s collection, developed under the leadership of Astrea’s global creative director and founding partner, Sarah Jessica Parker, and the brand’s founder and chief executive, Nathalie Morrison. “Maro embodies strength, integrity and modern sophistication – qualities that sit at the heart of Astrea London,” Nathalie says.
Fashion fan
Alongside Maro’s dazzling achievements on the rugby pitch – he has won multiple Six Nations, Premiership and European titles – the 31-year-old is known for his sharp sense of style. He often wears labels such as Dior and Burberry, plus the British African brand Labrum, accessorised with a pearl drop earring that was given to him by his parents.
Today, it has been replaced by an earring bearing the initials “MI”, with a stunning teardrop-shaped Astrea London diamond suspended beneath. Mimi, 32, designed the unisex piece for the couple, who now share the same initials.
“I’m comfortable wearing jewellery as a man,” smiles Maro, whose wrist is adorned with a diamond bracelet. “It looks great on him,” Mimi says.
Like most of the important aspects of Maro’s life, his love of jewellery is a link to his Nigerian heritage. It is a culture in which men have long embraced jewellery as a form of self-expression, and one he describes as “a fundamental part of who I am”.
Born in north London to Efe and Florence, who came from Nigeria in the early 1990s, he attended the quintessentially British Harrow School, but says: “My Nigerian identity helped form the lens through which I see the world.”
Sadly, alongside great joy, 2025 was marked by profound loss: Maro’s mother, whom he describes as “the glue and heartbeat of our family”, died in December, and he recently missed an England training camp to travel to Nigeria for her funeral. “This was by far the biggest and most painful loss I have ever experienced,” he says.
Royal connections
Like Maro, whose academic credentials – a degree in politics and an MBA – rival his sporting achievements, Mimi is impressively multi‑hyphenated. She is a successful model, a chartered forensic accountant and a painter whose works were featured at the Royal College of Art last year. Art is a shared passion for the pair. Having grown up with African paintings on the walls of his parents’ home, Maro scoured London for pieces for his first flat, but couldn’t find any.
“My mum and dad said: ‘When we next go to Nigeria, we’ll go to the art market.’ When we eventually went, I was taken aback by the colour, the vibrancy and dynamism of the art,” he says. “I felt a connection to it in my soul and started a yearly pilgrimage to Nigeria to pick up more. Collecting is something that Mimi and I love doing together.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales are both big supporters and so enthusiastic about the sport. Kate has mentioned that their three children all play, too.
In 2023, he co-founded the Akoje Gallery, a virtual and travelling gallery providing a global platform for African, Caribbean and diaspora artists. “African art is on an upward trajectory, and we want to contribute to its growth,” Maro says.
Through his non-profit Akoje Residency, he has teamed up with The King’s Foundation to offer up-and-coming artists the chance to live and work for three months at Dumfries House, on the monarch’s estate in Ayrshire.
Maro’s first meeting with the King came in 2022, when he was invited to Buckingham Palace along with one of the artists championed by the gallery, Oluwole Omofemi, who produced a portrait of the late Queen for her Platinum Jubilee. “It was an honour,” Maro says of the encounter. “The King is very engaged with art.”
© Getty ImagesOf course, meeting royalty is all part of the job for the England captain. As patrons of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Rugby Football Union respectively, the Prince and Princess of Wales are regular fixtures at major matches. “It’s awesome,” Maro says. “They’re both big supporters and so enthusiastic about the sport. Kate has mentioned that their three children all play, too.”
Friendly competition
The Six Nations kicks off this week, and although Maro will start from the bench for England’s first game against Wales today after attending his mother’s funeral, he always looks forward to seeing a touch of good-natured rivalry between the couple in the stands.
“I’m sure there’s a bit of banter between them,” he laughs. “William can’t celebrate too hard when England win, which I hope we will.”
Mimi admits that before meeting Maro, she knew little about rugby. “I’m still learning,” she says. “I can’t articulate all the rules, but over time, I’m getting my bearings.”
Last summer, she took a month off work to travel to Australia for the Lions tour, sharing an Airbnb at one point with some of the other players’ partners. “It was lovely hanging out with them; there’s a great camaraderie,” she says.
“It was amazing seeing how many Brits had flown out, and the streets were filled with Lions fans. I was very nervous about the second Test, but when we won, it was the best feeling.”
She attends all the games she can. “We joke that I always go if it’s near London or an international game, but I don’t always make it to the regional ones,” she says.
The year ahead is packed, including both the Six Nations this month and Saracens’ European campaign. “There’s always a lot going on,” Maro says. “But we always try to find time to hang out together.”
For more, visit astrealondon.com
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