Ian Garry’s wife is Layla Anna-Lee. A lot of MMA fans will agree that Garry doesn’t back down from a fight. He is a highly respected professional mixed martial artist that’s undefeated with a clean 15-0 record. Given that he has made his mark at a young age, there’s no question that Garry’s budding MMA career in the UFC will only rise, and the sky’s the limit.
But while Garry is carving out a promising MMA career, there’s no doubt that he also has it figured off the octagon, thanks to his loving wife and family. Let’s get to know more about Ian Garry’s wife Layla Anna-Lee.
Ian Garry’s wife Layla Anna-Lee
Ian Garry’s wife is Layla Anna-Lee. Anna-Lee, formerly known as Layla Machado, was born on March 22, 1983, in London. She studied in the Sylvia Young Theatre School, as per reports.
Layla Anna-Lee’s career as a television presenter
After finishing her education at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Anna-Lee embarked on a career as a television presenter. Some of her early works include ITV’s The Munch Box, Nickelodeon’s Nick Kicks, and several works for OK! Insider including OK! Magazine Online as a vlogger, as per reports.
In 2012, Anna-Lee also served as a presenter of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee event. The event catered to a 20,000-strong audience, according to her LinkedIn profile.
However, Anna-Lee eventually took her talents as a television presenter in the sports industry. In 2008, Anna-Lee served as a presenter for the BMX European Championships for Eurosport, as per reports. She also served as a presenter for O2 Inside Line’s feature for the England Rugby squad, Sky Sports’ BMX races and Trois Etapes.
Anna-Lee also transitioned into soccer by becoming a presenter for Kick TV’s Major League Soccer, Neymar Jr.’s Five, FIFA eWorld Cup and Adidas’ live World Cup show. Anna-Lee also served as a co-host for The Best FIFA Football Awards in 2017, along with Hollywood star Idris Elba.
In terms of football, Anna-Lee has also worked with NBC Sports in terms of Good Morning Football and her own show, Layla’s Occasionally Unbiased Football Show.
In an interview with Fit Me Now, Anna-Lee confessed “I cycle with my dog loads, and I stick to that because I’m rubbish at everything else. I can’t play football to save my life, but I’m a really good supporter!”
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But among her works as a television presenter, her major break came in 2012 when she served as the voice of the London Olympic Games ceremony. After serving as the voice of the Summer Games, Anna-Lee also called the beach volleyball tournament.
In the same interview with Fit Me Now, Anna-Lee described the experience by saying “It was great. The atmosphere was fantastic, and it was an amazing experience to be a part of. It’s a great sport, and it was really fun to see it close up.”
In addition to these sports, it won’t be long before Anna-Lee made her way into the MMA. She served as a presenter for programs such as Fighting Fit, Cage Warriors, Karate Combat and 5 Reasons Why x UFC FIGHT PASS.
While Anna-Lee has carved out a respectable career as a television presenter, she has also found success in her other ventures. Anna-Lee serves as the founder of the firm The Future Co.
In addition to this, she also acts as a brand ambassador for the iPlaySafe App. Furthermore, while working for OK! Magazine, Anna-Lee also authored the controversial book called How to be a WAG in 2010.
Layla Anna-Lee’s previous marriage with Richard Cullen
According to reports, Anna-Lee married Richard Cullen back in 2014. The couple welcomed a child together. Furthermore, Cullen also serves as the president of Layla, Ltd., which features UFC Fight Pass, as per reports.
However, the couple called off the marriage. As of this writing, Cullen is currently employed under Ian Garry, who’s Anna-Lee’s current husband, as a nutritionist.
Layla Anna-Lee’s marriage with Ian Garry
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Despite a 14-year age gap, the couple started to date as early as 2021, as they reportedly met while Anna-Lee was working as a reporter in featuring one of Garry’s events. A year after dating, Garry and Anna-Lee eventually tied the knot. Since then, they’ve welcomed a baby together with Garry serving as the stepfather of Anna-Lee’s child from her previous marriage with Cullen.
Ian Garry defends his wife Layla Anna-Lee
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Since entering the UFC, the married couple has faced a couple of rough patches, including fellow UFC fighters bringing up Anna-Lee’s controversial book How to be a WAG. These included fighters like Sean Strickland and Colby Covington.
In her defense, Anna-Lee reacted to the accusations online by saying, “I wrote a book called ‘How to be a WAG.’ Now, that statement itself is a little bit of a stretch. I can hardly call myself an author of an 11-page audible-only satire story that was written in 2010.
That context is key because that was during the FIFA World Cup when I was working at OK! magazine and various different gossip mags. We were creating this hilarious satire and look at wives and girlfriends in football.
That satirical book, if you listen to it, is really silly, and anybody who takes it as fact has completely missed the mark. At the time, it was a huge success. It went out. It was funny, and people got the joke.”
Furthermore, Garry also responded to Covington’s wild accusations.
In an Instagram video, Garry said “You’ll do as you’re told. You gave me three stipulations – all of which have nothing to do about fighting. They were all talking about my wife. I don’t know how you were raised, but women aren’t property, and my wife definitely ain’t no trophy. You should be focusing on me.
I’m the one who is in that Octagon with you. I’m the one who’s going to punch a hole in your head. So stop swerving me and keep Layla’s name out your mouth. You’re not America’s favorite fighter.
What you are is a peak underperformer. You’re the only person in UFC history to lose three world title fights, and you haven’t got a single win against anybody in the top 15 right now.”
Nevertheless, this is all the information that we have on Ian Garry’s wife Layla Anna-Lee.
