His memorable proposal was a knockout – going down on bended knee in the boxing ring after defending two of his super-middleweight world titles – and now, five years after former boxer Carl Froch asked Rachael Cordingley to become his wife, HELLO! can reveal that the couple have married in epic style at one of the most exclusive country estates in Italy. "I felt like a champion on our wedding day. I felt like I'd won as by marrying Rachael I was making my love for her official," Carl told HELLO! of the ceremony at Villa Carmina, on a beautiful Umbrian hillside above the medieval town of Todi, which was attended by former world champion boxer David Haye and adventurer Ant Middleton, who is chief instructor on the Channel 4 reality show SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Carl and Rachael on their special day Photo credit: Mark Robinson
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"I've won world titles, and I've been to Buckingham Palace to collect my MBE, but our wedding was the most massive occasion. It was one of the best days of my life," said Carl. Sharing their wedding photographs exclusively with HELLO!, the newlyweds have revealed how their three children – Rocco, who turns nine this month, Natalia, six, and three-year-old Penelope – were each given special roles at the fairytale ceremony on 25 May. "It was worth the wait to have our children as part of the day. We wouldn’t have had it any other way," said Rachael who wore a strapless fitted lace gown by Berta. "It was not just my and Carl's day – it was the children's day as well."
Reflecting on their wedding before flying to New York to commentate for Sky Sports on British world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s fight at the weekend, Carl said: "I always knew I didn't need a piece of paper to tell me I’ll be with Rachael for the rest of my life, but we are now all officially Froch, and I am so glad we did it."
To read the full story, pick up the latest copy of HELLO!, out Monday 3 June
