In I Am Georgina, the glamorous Georgina Rodríguez shares her side of the story. Being the partner of Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary billionaire soccer player who’s the most followed person on Instagram, means being in constant orbit around the spotlight. Some may be familiar with the model-entrepreneur based on their Instagram explore pages or paparazzi shots, but those are only fragments — and frankly, one-sided accounts — of who she really is.
I Am Georgina follows Rodríguez’s journey as she chases her dreams – and for those who don’t know, the docuseries also details the meet-cute that brought her and her partner together (in a befitting fashion) at a place none other than Gucci. Today, the family of seven continue to build their happily ever after. Ahead, we help you get to know about the elusive Georgina a bit better and what to expect in Season 2.
As a partner to a world-famous soccer star, Georgina has been all around the world. But what may come as a surprise, despite her cosmopolitan experiences, is that she hails from a small town in Spain. Even though she left for the big-city life at 18, when she revisits Jaca in the show after nine years with her sister Ivana, she remarks how it feels like she never left. Quiet and encased by nature and greenery (in one scene, you can spy a herd of deer loping across the fields), she reminisces on simpler days. She looks back fondly, recounting memories of trips to the sea and the mountains, picking blackberries to make jam and getting milk for custard on Sundays. Despite the fact that her family sometimes struggled financially, she feels her childhood in Jaca greatly impacted her and shaped who she is.
Georgina has a shining personality now, but when she was a child back in Jaca, the model went through some awkward years (who can relate?), especially because she had trouble fitting in. “I felt really lonely in school,” she says in I Am Georgina Season 1. “I loved to be by myself, at peace in my own world.” But her mother, concerned about her development, signed her up for ballet, and that’s where Georgina finally found her sense of belonging. It was a passion that stayed with her until she was 16, when financial roadblocks forced her to hang up her dancing shoes — but thankfully, that wasn’t the end of her dancing career. (She has since moved on to the tango and much bigger stages.)
While the world may know her as Georgina, to her close family and friends (including her famous beau), she’s “Gio.” In return, she affectionately dubs her friends “The Darlings.” Her sister Ivana, ex-co-workers Iván García and Sofía Mezquida, as well as her best friends Mamen Morales and Elena Pina make up the crew. Iván, who worked with Georgina in one of her first fashion retail jobs at Massimo Dutti, shares how despite being privy to the high life, “[Georgina] is still the same.” He adds what makes Georgina the happiest is spending time with family and friends and that she creates friendships that become like family.
Yes. Dreams are only blueprints — and when one door closes, having the resiliency to find another door helps keep life moving forward. When her dreams of being a dancer weren’t in the cards, fashion was next, and she gave it her all to move up the fashion ladder. There were long hours, five-hour bus rides, working two jobs from Thursday to Sunday and living in an apartment that was once a converted storage unit for $325 a month. But the hard work paid off and eventually led to a job as a sales associate at Gucci, where, like a page from a luxurious fairytale, she would one day meet her prince. “I used to sell [bags]," she says in the doc. “Now, I buy them.”
One day, a co-worker at Gucci called asking if she could stay past closing for a client. Just 30 minutes. She agreed, and let’s just say her storybook ending could have been very different if she said no, because none other than world famous soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who she remembers as “very handsome” and “two meters tall” walked in with his son Juníor and a few friends. She remembers getting instant butterflies and feeling very shy.
After building up a professional relationship, the prince eventually asked the belle to the ball (an event they were both invited to). Their courtship started slowly. But the tragedy of Georgina’s father’s passing and Ronaldo’s busy schedule halted their blossoming relationship. Fatefully, sometime later, at another event, the two bumped into each other. And this time, it brought the two together for good. Cristiano asked Georgina to dinner with his friends and brother, and on the way there, their hands brushed against one another, and as Georgina remembers there were palpable sparks. “It was a unique moment,” Cristiano echoes.
The Ronaldo clan has five kids in the mix: Cristiano Juníor (12), twins Mateo and Eva (5), and Alana (5). in 2022, Rodríguez gave birth to twins in April 2022, but one died during childbirth. The other, a girl named Bella Esmeralda, survived.
“They’re my whole life,” Cristiano adds. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about.” He says his partnership between Georgina keeps the family together, especially with her as the pillar.
With seven years of coupledom and a gaggle of kids, it’s clear the two are very committed to each other. While the two have yet to tie the knot, their close friends and family like to tease the couple by asking them when the wedding bells will ring. But ring or no ring, the couple are on the same page and happy. “To be honest, I don’t think our situation would change drastically,” she continues, shrugging. Cristiano, however, is “1,000% sure that it’ll happen.” Until then he says he and Georgina will wait for that “click” in timing.
There are triple threats, and then there’s Georgina. We can add presenter, dancer, model, businesswoman, philanthropist and red carpet slayer to the mogul’s resume. The multi-hyphenate tackles everything from walking paparazzi-packed red carpets (which she has shared with some of the world’s top film stars at the Cannes Film Festival) to presenting awards at the MTV EMAs, but despite the pressure, Georgina pushes through. “Those nerves are necessary to live and to feel the excitement.” In the end, it’s worth it, she adds, because it’s “like a dream.” In addition to her media duties, she helps run Insparya, a hair clinic started by Cristiano, as an administrator. Her partner praises her business sensibility.
The couple currently planted roots in Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano plays in Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr.
The next chapter of the series premieres March 24.
Get a sense of how the journey will unfold in the trailer, above.
